Laser Tagged
by Dana Keylits
Summary: They were becoming a family. And, like any family, there were problems, especially for Alexis. Caskett, set during season five. Disclaimer: The story is mine, but the characters and settings are not. They belong to Andrew Marlowe and company, with whom I am, regrettably, not affiliated.
1. Chapter 1

**Laser Tagged**

**By Dana Keyltis**

The room was dark, still, as though he weren't here, except that Kate knew he was. All of her senses were on heightened alert. A creak behind her forced her to spin around, her gun raised, eyes frantically searching for their target. _Nothing. Nothing there._ She took a steadying breath, attempting to calm her pounding heart. She inched around the corner of the kitchen counter, crouched low, ready to pounce at the slightest movement, a drop of sweat inching down her forehead. She absently wiped it away. Then she heard him. Somehow, inexplicably, he'd managed to get behind her. She lowered her head, trying to see him from the corner of her eye, not wanting to give him the tell that she knew he was there.

Then, trusting her cop instincts, she leaped up, spun around and fired her weapon.

But he dove behind the dining room table and she missed him. Not offering him the opportunity to return fire, she raced to the living room, vaulting herself over the couch, hiding behind it just as he took aim, missing her by mere inches. She crawled on her belly along the length of the couch, then peered around the corner.

He was gone.

She panicked, Where did he go that fast? She attempted to steady her breathing again, tempering her pulse so she could listen without the distracting noise of blood _whooshing_ past her ears as it raced through her veins, carrying oxygen to her heart.

But, all she could hear was the deafening silence around her. Where was he? How was he so _quiet_? Then she realized he must have removed his shoes. She looked down at her own boot covered feet, thoughts of removing them skittering past her brain, but the noise of the zippers would echo around the expansive room and surely give her away. No, better to leave them on.

She squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating. She needed to find a better hiding spot, one where she could get a more complete view of the angles of the room. She started to crawl backwards towards the wall behind her when a flash of light caught her attention. He'd opened a door, the light spilling momentarily in the room, before closing it again.

He had either gone into the bathroom, or he wanted her to _think_ he had. She knew better than to trust the ruse, knowing it could be a ruse either way. So she decided to set herself up behind the piano and wait for him to either come out or make his move.

She crossed the room in an awkward crouch when a telltale squeak behind her gave him away. She froze.

Her brain screamed. _Move!_

She spun around, ducking just in time, his shot missing her by half an inch. She raised her gun and fired.

Bullseye! She'd hit him square in the chest.

* * *

"Dad!" Alexis cried.

Castle turned to see his daughter standing in the entryway of his Manhattan loft, her hands on both hips. He looked back at Kate, who was standing proudly, her red flashing laser tag gun straddled in both hands across her chest. A satisfied, victorious look gliding across her face.

He narrowed his eyes, "You may have won this round, _Detective_ Beckett, but you _will not win the war_!"

"Ha! Says you, _Mister_ Castle! I have yet to show you the _full_ _extent_ of my abilities!"

He arched an eyebrow, "Oh, I've seen your," He paused, playfully, "...abilities."

"At laser tag, Castle." She side-nodded, her eyes shifting towards Alexis. "At laser tag."

"Right." Castle replied, setting his laser gun down and crossing the room to embrace his daughter.

Only, she didn't return his hug, and in fact, pushed him away. "What are you doing?" Alexis accused, a hurt look masking her normally exuberant features, her eyes alternating between her father and Kate.

"What do you mean?" Castle asked, confused.

She pointed at the laser tag equipment. "That's ours, Dad."

"What are you talking about?"

"Laser tag, it's ours. We've been doing it since I was five!" Tears sprang up in her eyes.

"Honey. We can still play laser tag! But, I bought a third set so Kate can play, too."

Her face fell, her voice lowered to a whisper. "It's not the same." She replied, marching past her father and up the stairs.

They heard a door slam.

Castle turned to Kate, who was removing her equipment, his arms outstretched, a befuddled expression blanketing his face. "What just happened?"

Kate smiled sympathetically. "She misses you, Castle."

"She's the one who left!"

"How can you be so smart, and so utterly clueless, at the same time?"

"What?"

"Go talk to her. She misses you, and she walks in here, finds us playing laser tag, which is what _she_ used to do with you. She thinks you've moved on..."

"But, that doesn't make any sense." He said, frustrated. He took off his equipment and placed it in the bin next to Kate's. "I have to practically _beg _ her to come visit me. She almost wasn't going to come tonight! And, it's _taco_ night!" His eyebrows arched incredulously. "If she misses me so much, why doesn't she just come home more?"

Kate placed both hands on his shoulders, then patted his cheek. "Castle, you spent so much time in boarding school, that by the time you went to college you had already adjusted to not being at home." She side-nodded towards the staircase. "But, Alexis is still adjusting. She's trying to exert her independence, but she also needs to know she can come home at any time."

"She can!" His eyes grew wide with exasperation.

"And know that you haven't left her behind. That this is still _home_."

"But, Kate." His voice softening, he pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Things _have_ changed. She can't expect me to just live in a time bubble." He leaned down and they kissed. "We're together now. She's going to have to get used to that."

"And she will, Castle. She just needs a little time." She pointed at his chest with her finger, "And reassurance from you that even though things are changing, you will always be her dry land."

Castle regarded her, losing himself in the deepness of her hazel-brown eyes. He framed her face with his hands and kissed her. "How is it that you always have the best parenting advice?"

She smiled. "Well, I may not be a parent, but I know what it is to be an only child. And, I know what it is to have a unique bond with a father." She gently nudged him towards the stairs, "Now, go. Talk to her. I've got this." She swept her hand over the laser tag equipment.

* * *

When Martha came charging through the front door, making her usual grand entrance, Kate was sautéing the meat and chopping onions for the tacos, thankful for Castle's onion goggles or her mascara would have been half way down her face by now.

"Kate! Oh, good. I haven't missed taco night!" Martha dropped a half dozen shopping bags at the foot of the staircase and shrugged her wrap from her shoulders, letting it slide dramatically down her back. "That smells heavenly."

"Thank you, Martha." Kate replied. "Would you like something to drink? I've already mixed up a batch of sangria."

"Oh, yes, please!" She sat down on one of the stools facing the kitchen counter.

Kate poured the sangria into a wine glass and handed it to Martha. She picked up her own drink and they clinked glasses, a gentle "ping" echoing in the air.

"Where is Richard? Don't tell me he has _you _doing all of the work."

"Oh, no." Kate giggled, "He's upstairs talking to Alexis." She glanced at her watch. "She's having a hard time, with, you know, all of the changes."

"Oh, dear." Martha worried. "Did something happen?"

"She walked in on Castle and me..."

"Oh, dear, oh dear."

"No, no. Not _that_." Kate blushed. "We were playing laser tag."

Martha nodded, knowingly. "Ah, yes, well I can see why that would upset her."

"I feel badly. We should have thought about it."

"Well, she's going to have to get used to sharing her father with you, eventually." Martha said, taking another long sip of her drink and glancing up the staircase. "No time like the present, I suppose."

And, as if on cue, Castle came lumbering down the stairs, Alexis in tow.

"I smell taco meat!" He robustly declared.

Kate scrutinized their faces. It seemed as though whatever Castle had said had worked. Alexis looked her usual cheerful self, even sidling up next to Kate to see if she could help with anything.

"It looks delicious, Detective Beckett."

"Alexis," Kate started, turning towards the younger woman, "I think it's about time you call me Kate, don't you think?"

"I," Alexis blushed, "I can try, it's just you've always been Detective Beckett to me, so..."

"Well, whatever you're comfortable with. I just want you to know you don't have to be so formal."

Alexis smiled, nodding. "Kate it is, then."

"Great." Kate returned the smile.

Seated at the dining room table, they proceeded to serve themselves when Castle announced he needed another beer.

"I'll get it," Alexis offered, already bouncing up from the table.

"Thank you, sweetie." He replied, piling his plate with taco's, re-fried beans, and spanish rice.

None of them noticed that Alexis had helped herself to a beer until after she'd taken a couple of swigs.

"Alexis!" Castle choked. "What are you doing?"

Alexis looked at the beer in her hand, "What?"

He reached across the table to take the bottle from her, but she pulled it away. "Oh, c'mon Dad don't be such a killjoy. I'm drinking a beer with dinner! What's the big deal?"

Kate and Martha sat silently, watching the scene unfold before them.

"Since _when_ did you start drinking beer?"

"I don't know. This summer?" She put her lips to the bottle and took another giant swig.

Castle watched in disbelief. _Alexis! Eighteen year old Alexis was drinking beer!_ "I don't like you drinking, Alexis."

"Oh come on, Dad! You're such a hypocrite! By the time you were my age, you'd already been arrested twice for public drunkenness!"

"She's got you there, kiddo." Martha chimed in.

"You're not helping, mother." Castle admonished. Looking at Kate, "Beckett, tell her will you? You're a cop, she could get arrested for this!"

Kate put both hands in the air as though being held at gunpoint. "I think it's better for all of our sakes that within these four walls, I'm just Kate. _Not_ Detective Beckett."

"See?" Alexis declared, taking another swig of beer.

"However, I have to defer to your dad on this one." Kate finished.

"Dad. Don't you remember trying to give me _Champagne_ when I was only fourteen?"

He took a bite of his taco, salsa dribbling down his cheek. "No! When did I do that?"

"At your last Derek Storm book release party? Remember? That was the night Detective Beckett," She glanced at Kate. "...er, Kate, pulled you away because of that murder?"

Castle's face lit up at the memory and his eyes found Kate's across the table. "That was the night we met," He grinned, the corners of his eyes betraying his obvious affection.

"Yeah," She whispered, blushing at the memory, her nose crinkling with her smile.

"You were so mad at me, remember?"

Kate nodded.

"But hot for me at the same time," Castle winked.

She threw her napkin at him, rolling her eyes.

"Ahem," Martha interrupted.

"Right. Well, Alexis, I don't approve of you drinking, but I'm not going to wrestle the bottle out of your hand. But, _one," _He held up his index finger,"...is your limit."

Alexis pouted, "How about two?"

"Don't push it." Castle warned.

"You're on _your_ second, and I bet you have a third."

"Yeah, well I've got at least 150 pounds and a quarter of a century on you." He admonished. "One. That's it."

"Fine."

The conversation for the rest of the evening was much lighter, laughter rang around the table, echoing off the walls, filling their minds and hearts. Kate looked around at them, mother, son, father, daughter, a sense of kinship, of belonging, rising warmly within her. She loved the happy noise of it, the witty banter easily shared among them, Castle and his "women". She smiled lovingly at him, he was such an adorable father, a patient son. It's one of the things she loved so much about him. She felt her cheeks grow hot and had to look away when his eyes caught hers staring at him. When she glanced back, he had a sweet grin on his face, his eyes sparkling. He lifted his beer as if in toast, and winked at her. She winked back, raising her glass.

Martha served the flan, placing it on the table in front of them in great dramatic fashion, "Come, come, good flan is a good familiar creature, if it be well used!" Martha bowed, "William Shakespeare said that."

"Mother, Shakespeare was talking about wine," Castle corrected, cutting into the flan before dishing them up on the dessert plates stacked at his elbow.

"Potato, pahtahto." She replied with a swish of her wrist. Passing the plates to Alexis and Kate.

Alexis glanced at Kate, they smiled, knowingly, Alexis rolled her eyes. "Gran can't just say stuff. She always needs to quote Shakespeare, or Ibsen, or..."

"Oh hush," Martha interjected, a playful pout forming on her lips.

* * *

The dishes were rinsed and stacked in the dishwasher, the leftovers put away, Alexis was upstairs rummaging through her closet in search of warm clothes, Martha had already retired to her room, the sangria having proven to have a sedating effect on her. Castle and Kate were nestled on the couch together, her back to his front, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

"I wish you would stay the night."

"Castle, I have such an early shift tomorrow. I just really need to sleep tonight."

"You can sleep here, can't you?"

She turned her head to look at him, "You're kidding, right?"

"Fine." He conceded, gently sweeping her hair aside before brushing his lips along the slender expanse of her neck.

Alexis came bounding down the stairs, a duffle bag in her hand. She waived at the pair. "Goodnight."

Castle wriggled away from Kate, standing up. "Whoa, wait, honey. How are you getting back to school? It's late."

"I was just going to take the subway,"

He shook his head, reaching for his wallet. "No, no, no. I'll call you a cab."

"I can take her," Kate interjected, getting up from the couch. "I'm leaving now, anyway." She approached Alexis, "I'd be happy to give you a ride."

"Thanks, Detect-, Kate." Alexis accepted.

"Thank you." Castle echoed, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. Then he kissed Alexis, "Be safe, honey."

"Always am, Dad." Alexis responded, bounding out the door.

Kate turned and smiled, "Thanks, Castle."

He raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

She raised one arm then let it fall to her side, "For..." A sweet smile curving her lips, "Laser tag. Taco night. It was nice, I liked it."

Castle smiled, "Always."

* * *

Alexis was oddly quiet on the drive back to school. Kate asked her about her classes, her friends, the dorm, the food. But every answer was monosyllabic.

"Alexis. I want you to know that I'm really sorry about the laser tag."

"No." Alexis exhaled, "I'm the one who should be sorry. Kate. I was just being," She searched for the right word, "...childish."

"Oh, honey. No. Look, I get it. It's just been you and your dad for a very long time." She side glanced at Alexis. "I know how that is. Your dad and I should have been more sensitive."

"It's okay," Alexis took a deep breath. "It's just, he's never done that before."

"Done what?" Kate asked, confused.

"Played laser tag." Alexis shifted in her seat to face kate. "I mean, with a girlfriend. He's never played laser tag with a girlfriend, before."

Kate was trying to understand. _What did that mean?_

"Detective Beckett. He really loves you."

It was fortuitous that the car was idling at a stoplight, because Kate suddenly felt unsteady, her eyes unexpectedly misty, unfocused, her breathing labored. "Wha-?"

"He hasn't shared so much of himself with anyone in a very long time." Alexis continued. "If ever. I know my dad. I've seen him in other relationships. He's never been as." She searched again for the right words, "..._all_ _in_ before."

Kate glanced at Alexis before returning her gaze to the road. "And, is that okay with you?" The light turned green, and she hit the gas, proceeding through the intersection.

Alexis smiled. "I won't lie. It's going to take some time for me to get used to the idea. But, I'm happy for him. He's spent the last eighteen years making sure I had everything I needed - or wanted. How can I wish any less for him?"

Kate smiled, glancing in Alexis' direction. "You're a good daughter."

Alexis chuckled. "Well, he's a good dad."

They pulled up outside of Alexis' dorm, and Kate reached over and placed her hand gently on the younger girls arm. "Alexis. I know how it can be the first year away. And," She paused, considering her words carefully. "I know the kind of pressure you might get from your friends. Just know you don't have to do _anything_ you aren't comfortable with. And," She searched Alexis' face, "...you need to be careful with the parties and the alcohol."

"Thank you, Kate. But, I'm fine."

"Just the same," Kate reached into her pocket and pulled out her card case. She teased a card from the holder and handed it to Alexis. "If you ever find yourself in over your head, or you just need a friend, don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

"Kay." Alexis replied, accepting the proffered card. "Thanks for the ride."

* * *

Castle had emptied the dishwasher and turned out the lights when a soft rapping at the door interrupted his nightly routine. He crossed to the entryway and opened the door, a slow, sly, sexy grin creeping along his face.

"Kate."

"I, ah. I..."

Castle stood aside and held the door open as Kate stepped into the apartment. She squared herself in front of Castle, resting both palms flat against his chest.

"I, ah. I just wanted to tell you." She looked into his baby blues, getting lost in them. "Castle. I love you, too."

His mouth fell open, the corners of his lips curving upwards. His eyes twinkled, his heart quickened. He gathered her to him, holding her close. She slid her arms around his middle, tears prickling her eyes.

"Kate." He whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. He'd waited for this. Longed for this. Knowing it was within her, but not wanting to force it before she was ready. And now, here she stood, in his arms, declaring her love, and it was everything he'd imagined it to be, genuine, pure, blissful. He felt his heart swell, his throat constrict, and he framed her face with his hands, searching her eyes before gently placing his lips on hers in a slow, languid kiss.

"I'd like to stay," She stated.

"What about needing to sleep?"

"Sleep Shmeep," Kate replied, taking his hand in hers and leading him to the bedroom. "We can sleep when we're dead."

* * *

Alexis dumped her stuff in her dorm and then headed to the frat house down the block. The party was still raging, and as she crossed the threshold into the old house, someone shoved an open bottle of beer in her hand. She moved her way nimbly through the crowd, searching for a familiar face, when one of the frat brothers stood in her path.

"Hey," He said, eyeing her up and down.

"Hey," Alexis replied, blushing, a rush of excitement coursing through her body.

"I'm Peter."

"Alexis." She smiled, coyly.

"You like to party, Alexis?" He asked, one brow arched.

She shrugged, "Sure."

"Awesome." He exclaimed, "Follow me."

She followed him through the house to a room in the back and when he opened the door, the smell of marijuana smoke reached out like a tentacle and tickled her nose. She coughed. "Oh. You mean, _party._" She clarified.

"Yeah, you into it?"

Alexis hesitated, her better angel told her to turn around and go back to her dorm. But, something inside of her prodded her to give it a try. It was an almost uncontrollable force urging her forward, and so she nodded at Peter. "Sure, I'll try anything once."


	2. Chapter 2

**Laser Tagged **

**Chapter Two**

By Dana Keylits

Alexis struggled to wake up, her mind foggy and flat, her head pounding. She blinked, yawned, stretched, and then looked around, suddenly realizing she was not in her own bed. In fact, she wasn't in _any_ bed. She was on a couch, and she wasn't alone.

She sat up, rubbing her mascara-smeared eyes with the heels of both hands, attempting to orient herself, when a sudden wave of nausea swept over her and she raced to the bathroom, making it to the toilet bowl just in time.

After emptying the contents of her stomach, she flushed, washed her hands and mouth, and then looked at herself in the mirror. _What am I doing? God, this is not me!_ She felt sick inside, disappointed in herself, and vowed, _again_, that _this_ was the last time she was going to drink like that.

It didn't help, either, that she'd allowed herself to be talked into trying pot. It wasn't that she didn't like the way it made her feel, she just didn't like having to _smoke_ it. It smelled horrible and burned her nose.

Her mouth was dusty and rancid, her tongue thick. She rubbed at her temples, her head felt like someone had opened it up and poured sand in it, even her eyes hurt. All she wanted to do was get out of there and go back to her dorm, where she could shower and wash away this horrible night. But, she didn't know where she was, or even, who she was _with_. It wasn't the frat house, which was where she last remembered being. And, while she _thought_ it was Peter still sleeping on the couch, she wasn't one-hundred percent sure.

She couldn't find her purse, either. Which meant, she couldn't find her cell phone.

Panic rising inside of her, she looked around for a phone. Peter. _Was it Peter?_ Still hadn't stirred. And now she was wondering if he was okay, he hadn't moved at all._ What if he's dead? _She looked at him closely, trying to see the rise and fall of his chest that would signal he was at least breathing. She was afraid to touch him.

She needed help. She found a landline phone on the kitchen wall, grateful that he had one, and lifted the receiver to see if there was a dial tone. Thankfully, there was. She called her dad, but his phone went right to voicemail. He either had it off, or the battery had died.

She slammed the phone onto it's cradle and shoved her hands deeply into her back pockets. _What am I going to do? I don't even know where I am! What was I thinking last night? _She frowned as she realized that this is something that would happen to her parents, probably _had _happened to her parents. But, it wasn't anything she'd ever imagined would happen to _her._

She shook her head. _Think, Alexis._ Then, she suddenly realized that her fingers had been absently playing with a stiff piece of paper. A lightbulb went off and she yanked Detective Beckett's card out of her pocket, turning it over in her fingers.

She paused, should she call her? What would Beckett do if she found out Alexis had gotten high? Maybe she should call Gram instead. But, what if Peter was dead? Her eyes darted to the couch in the other room, he still hadn't moved.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Kate answered her desk phone on the second ring. "Beckett,"

"Detective Beckett? It's Alexis."

Kate paused. "Hi, Alexis." Kate glanced at her watch, it was seven-thirty. _Why was Alexis calling her so early?_ "Is everything okay?"

"Well, um, no. not really."

Kate swiveled in her chair and glanced at the empty seat next to her desk, _his_ seat. She had left Castle warm in his bed early this morning and, as far as she knew, he was still at home sleeping, and since her day was filled with paperwork, she wasn't expecting to see him unless a body dropped.

"What's wrong?"

"I, ah, I'm not sure where I am, and I don't have my purse or my cell phone. I don't remember how I got here. And, I..." She heard Alexis choke back a sob, "There's a man here, I'm worried because he's not moving."

Kate stood up and snapped her fingers at Esposito. She pointed to the phone at her ear and mouthed, "trace", then returned to her seat.

"Alexis, what do you mean he's not moving? Has he been hurt? Is he...?"

"I don't know. I, um, I woke up next to him and he felt warm then. But, he hasn't woken up."

"Have you tried to wake him?"

"No. I'm getting scared. Can you help me? Please?"

"Okay, Alexis, did you guys take anything last night? Have you been drinking?" The silence on the other end of the line gave her the answer she needed. "Alexis, is it possible he overdosed? Do you know how much he drank?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, he was drinking, but I don't know about anything else..."

"Okay, put down the phone and go to him, see if you can find a pulse, okay? Do you know how to do that?"

"Yes, I know CPR, too."

"Okay, I'll stay on the line," Kate said, glancing at Espo who was still on the phone trying to get a trace.

Alexis returned to the phone a minute later. "Okay, he's breathing. But, he won't wake up. I tried to shake him and he kind of moaned, but he didn't wake up"

Esposito launched himself out of his chair and marched to Beckett's desk, slapping down a piece of paper with a name and address on it. Kate stood up, grabbing her jacket. "Alexis, I'm on my way, okay? Just stay there."

"How do you know where I am?"

"I ran a trace on the call. I'll be there in ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay."

"If you need to, if he stops breathing or anything happens, call 911."

"Right."

Kate was in her car in less than a minute, the gum-ball blazing, siren blaring, as she raced towards the address Espo had given her. She pulled up in front of the building, located about half a mile from the Columbia campus, and badged her way past the front desk and up to the apartment.

Alexis opened the door and Kate gasped, stunned by the girls appearance. Her makeup was smudged, she had dark circles under her eyes, and she smelled, she smelled like alcohol, cigarettes, vomit, and..._marijuana_. She looked around, the place was a mess, leftover take out boxes scattered everywhere, beer bottles on the floor, and was that a bong?

"He's over here," Alexis gestured to the couch.

Kate leaned down and checked his pulse, slow and steady, then made sure he was breathing, which he was. "He's alive, at least." Kate said. She aggressively rubbed his sternum with her knuckles and he jumped awake, coughing.

"What the fu-"

"Get up," Kate barked.

Peter slowly sat up, blinking against the bright light. "Who are you?" His eyes traveled, unfocused, to Kate then Alexis, then back to Kate. He scrubbed at his face with both hands, then combed his fingers through his sandy hair.

Kate showed him her badge.

"Whoa, Alexis, you called the cops?" He glared at her, eyes narrowed.

Kate put out an arm and guided Alexis to stand behind her. "I'm a friend. Where's her stuff?"

"What?"

Kate bent over him, her finger poking him in the chest. "Her stuff!" Kate yelled.

He winced.

"Where is it?"

"Um, hold on, okay, wait. Let me think." He pulled aside the blanket, and stood up, he was wearing a blue t-shirt and boxers, and Alexis suddenly blushed. Kate looked from him to Alexis, worried about exactly what had happened between them.

"Okay, after the party, we came over here." He pointed at the floor, a faraway look in his eyes. "So, if your stuff isn't in the apartment," He glanced around, "Then it must be in the car."

"Give me the keys, what kind of car." Kate demanded, holding out her hand.

He glanced around again, "I think they're in my pants."

Her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised, her face betraying not an ounce of good humor, "And, _where_ are your pants?"

'Um," Looking around, "Let's see. We came back here, smoked a little..." He looked at Kate as though suddenly remembering she was a cop, "ah, clove cigarettes."

Kate rolled her eyes.

"And then we turned on the TV, and grabbed some food! I think we even ordered pizza."

"Where are your pants, Peter!" Kate yelled, deliberately resting her hand on the butt of the gun holstered at her hip.

Alexis winced, but stayed quiet, grateful for Kate's assertive posture.

Peter held up both hands. "Okay, okay. The kitchen, they must be in the kitchen," He snapped his fingers, "Remember, Alex? You were playing around with the ice cubes and you dropped them down my..."

Alexis covered her face with her hands while Kate marched into the kitchen, returning with the keys in one hand and his pants in the other. "Get dressed, show me your car." She side nodded towards the door, one hand outstretched in it's direction.

In the parking lot behind his building they located the car, and Alexis' purse. Kate tossed the keys to Peter. "Next time, I'll arrest you, got it?"

He opened his mouth to protest but she aimed her finger at him, cutting him off. "Not only were you providing alcohol to a minor," She pointed at Alexis who was staring at the ground in front of her. "...but you clearly drove your car under the influence last night." She returned her finger to his face, "And don't think I didn't notice the paraphernalia in your apartment!"

He nodded, backing away from them as Kate led Alexis to her cruiser.

They drove in silence for the first few blocks, before Kate finally cut through it.

"Alexis," She side glanced at the girl. "What happened?"

"I, um. God, I honestly don't remember." She was looking out the window, feeling ashamed, embarrassed, angry at herself.

"Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you?"

She looked at Kate. "No, no. I don't think so, I just, I just can't remember." She rubbed her forehead with one hand, closing her eyes against the throbbing headache.

Kate exhaled. She pulled up in front of the dorm, but instead of dropping Alexis off, she accompanied her to her room.

"Can you at least tell me _how_ this happened?"

Alexis dropped her purse on the desk and then flopped onto her bed, holding her stomach as though she might vomit again. "I went to a party last night."

Kate nodded, "I gathered that."

"I, um, Detective Beckett, I don't really want to say, I mean..."

"Honey, I'm just Kate. Okay? You can tell me anything. I'm not here as a cop, I'm here as your friend."

Alexis bit her bottom lip, then shrugged her shoulders, her head cocked to one side. "I drank too much. I met Peter at the party, and, he, ah..." She looked down at her hands as they lay folded in her lap. She started to cry.

Kate crossed the room and sat next to Alexis, cradling her arm around the younger girls shoulders. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"I don't really remember what happened." She covered her face in her hands and rocked back and forth. "Ugh, I think I might be sick again."

Kate scanned the room and then grabbed the garbage can from beneath the desk. She set it between Alexis' legs and returned to her place beside the girl. Alexis moaned when the mattress shifted as Kate sat down.

Rubbing her back, Kate asked, "Alexis, did you and Peter? Did you, sleep together?"

Alexis' head snapped up, "No!" She looked horrified.

"Because, I just want to make sure that you're safe. You know? That you're using protection and that you're, um, that you're not doing anything with anyone that you don't want to do."

Alexis groaned, she searched Kate's eyes, her shoulders slumping. She looked away again, ashamed. "I woke up fully dressed, I'm pretty sure nothing happened."

"But, you don't remember." It wasn't a question.

Alexis shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

Kate nibbled on a thumbnail, glancing at the ceiling.

She hesitated, but had to ask. "You got high last night, right?"

Alexis looked up, "I, Kate, I don't really want to..."

Kate nodded, "It's okay. But, Alexis, honey, you have to be careful. You cannot drink like that, and drugs? I know I don't need to tell you what that can do. You work at the morgue. So you already _know." _Kate paused, she didn't want to berate the girl, especially since she was just beginning to build a relationship with her, but this scared her. It was so atypical for Alexis. She took a deep breath, '"You could have been..."

Alexis stood up, spinning around, "I know!" She suddenly turned green and then grabbed the garbage can, retching into it as she sank to her knees. Kate knelt behind her, holding her hair back as she emptied the rest of her stomach contents into the trash can.

Alexis moaned. "Oh god, could this get any more embarrassing?"

Kate gave her a tissue, and helped her up to the bed.

"Okay, I'm going to let you sleep this off. Make sure you drink lots of water, okay? Do you need some ibuprofen?"

"No, I have some." Alexis replied, reclining against the pillows, her eyes closed as she massaged her temples with both hands.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you. But, Alexis..."

She opened her eyes, "I've learned my lesson, Kate. I promise. I'm never going to drink or, um, I'm never going to do that again, okay?"

Kate nodded, "Okay."

"I don't suppose I can convince you to not tell my dad, can I?"

Kate made a face, "Oh, Alexis, I'm not sure I can promise that."

Alexis nodded, "I figured."

"I can wait, though. Okay? So, you can tell him yourself?"

"Thanks, I'll call him later."

Kate gestured towards the trash can, "Do you want me to take care of that?"

"No, thanks. I'll get rid of it."

Kate nodded, turning to walk out the door.

"Thank you, Kate. Really, I appreciate it."

"Of course. Anytime, okay? You call me anytime."

Alexis nodded.

It was a blissfully slow day at the precinct and Kate was able to get through the rest of her shift without incident. As soon as the clock hit three, she stood up, gathered her stuff, and headed home.

Castle was writing all day but said if he made enough progress he'd come over for dinner. Kate wanted to tell him about Alexis, but also wanted to keep her promise to let the girl tell him herself. Since Castle hadn't called her, she assumed that he didn't know yet.

After a short nap, and a change of clothes, Kate stood in front of her refrigerator, deciding what to make them for supper. She really needed to get to the grocery store, she hardly had any food in her house. She let the refrigerator door swing shut, and opened her cabinet to peruse the take-out menus, Italian, Mediterranean, American, Noodles and Company. Ah, Chinese, her favorite.

Before she could call in an order, Castle was knocking at the door, slipping his key into the lock.

She searched his eyes, they seemed unburdened, so she knew Alexis still hadn't called him. They kissed, then Castle closed the door.

"You know, now that you have a key, you don't need to knock."

He shrugged, smiling. "It seemed polite."

"Did you get a lot of writing done?"

He pulled her close, circling his arm around her waist as she rested her hand on his upper arm. "Some."

They kissed.

"Did you, um, hear from Alexis?"

"No," he mumbled into her neck as he nuzzled her.

"Ah," Kate replied, distracted by his deliciously soft lips on her warming skin.

She gently leaned back, "Well, I think you should call her."

He searched her eyes, "Why?"

Kate opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Then opened it again, but no words fell out.

"Kate," He released her. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I promised her I'd let her tell you."

"Oh god, she's pregnant." He started pacing, his fingers tracing a frantic path through her hair.

Her eyes grew wide, "No, no. No. It's not that. Just. Castle, please, just call her."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his iPhone, his eyes locked suspiciously on hers. He started pacing again, stopping when she finally answered.

"Alexis? Hi honey, it's dad."

Kate smiled. His whole demeanor changed whenever he stepped into father mode. He adored Alexis, adored being a father, and he'd done a good job. Kate loved that about him. She didn't know if she ever wanted kids, but if she did, if _they_ did, she had no doubts about _him_.

He had wandered into the bedroom to finish the call, so she returned to the task of picking out their dinner. She had settled on Chinese, but Castle preferred Noodles & Company, so that's what she chose, given the night he was about to have. Since they didn't deliver, one of them would have to run around the corner and pick it up.

From her kitchen counter, she called in the order, then picked up her most recent copy of the Literary Review of Books and absently flipped through the pages, anxiously waiting for Castle to finish his conversation with Alexis.

After what seemed an interminable amount of time, he shuffled from the bedroom, tucking his phone in his back pocket.

She waited, wondering if he was mad at her for not telling him. Or, at least, not telling him sooner.

"So?" Kate asked, her eyebrows raised.

"I, um. Kate, how come you didn't tell me?"

"She asked me not to." She held up a staying palm when she saw he was about to interrupt her, "I told her I couldn't keep her secret, but I would give her time to tell you herself before I said anything to you."

He nodded. "I get it. It's just, how worried should I be about this? Is this the _wild child _ phase you warned me about?"

Kate sighed, taking his hand in hers, "It could be. I went through it in high school, so this could just be that, she could just be spreading her wings, trying new stuff, if that's all it is she'll get bored with it soon enough."

"And, if it's not?"

"Then, well, then we have to intervene. Look, Castle," She drew him close. "The good news is she called me, she called me right away and asked for my help. She called you, too, you know. Before she called me."

"She did?" He pulled out his phone, swiping his finger over the screen, checking his missed calls. "She did!" Relief swept over him like water over a fall.

"See? So, she's still reaching out to us. It's when she stops doing that, that we should be really worried."

He nodded, kissing her. "You always know how to make me feel better." He raised her hand to his lips, and kissed it, too. He grinned at her adoringly. "Alexis told me you were like a mama grizzly with her friend. Thanks for that."

She smiled, nodding. "Always. I'm glad you feel better." She kissed the tip of his nose. "Now, Rochambeau to figure out who picks up dinner?"

They held out their fists. One. Two. Three. She was paper, he was rock. She shook her head in amusement, "You never learn, do you?"

He fake grimaced, then kissed her again before hurrying out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Laser Tagged**

**Chapter Three**

**By Dana Keylits**

She sauntered into the bedroom, her long legs peeking through the silky blue bathrobe she kept at his place now, two mugs of aromatic coffee in her hands.

"You're awake."

"Mmmm, Coffee." He growled, wiping the gravel from his eyes with the heels of both hands. "How long have you been up?" he asked her, accepting the mug as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"About an hour," Kate replied, blowing at the hot coffee, the rising steam floating sideways over the rim of the mug. She took a tentative sip. "What time is Alexis getting here?"

He yawned, put his mug on the bedside table and sat up straighter, stretching his arms above his head, his naked torso exposed by the falling sheet. A crooked grin spreading on Kate's face as she watched him.

"Ten-thirty, I think." He answered, finally.

"Ten-thirty, huh?" She replied, her eyes darting to the digital alarm clock resting on the bedside table. "That gives us three hours."

An arch of the eyebrow, a slight tilt of the head, a knowing, sultry smile.

He knew that look. He _loved_ that look. A mischievous grin spreading across his face, his baby blue's bright and shiny, he reached for the sash on her bathrobe, tugging it free. "We could do a lot of things in three hours."

"Mmm hmm," she answered, resting her mug beside his on the table, then planting the palm of her hand on the mattress, leaning closer. "What would you suggest?"

He growled and chuckled at the same time, snaking his hand behind her neck and pulling her in to him, he kissed her, long and slow, deliberately. "How about this?" He whispered.

She moaned, "I like it."

* * *

"Dad!"

Castle looked up from the pancakes he was making to see Alexis come bounding in the door, a laundry bag in one hand, a grocery bag in the other, a pale green backpack strapped to her shoulders.

"Hi, honey."

"It smells nummy in here." She smiled, dropping her stuff at the foot of the staircase before giving her dad a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, Beckett has an egg bake in the oven that is to _die_ for!" He chin pointed at her laundry bag. "Washing machines broken at the dorm again?"

"Ah, yeah. So, Kate's here? Already?" Alexis asked, looking around nervously.

His eyes narrowed, "Yeah, she spent the..." He stopped, was that inappropriate to say?

Alexis made a face. "It's okay, Dad. I know you guys have," her fingers curved into air quotes, "..._sleepovers_."

"Well, yes. She's here. She's getting dressed. Why? Is it a problem?" His mind traveled back to their conversation after the whole laser tag debacle. Surely they were past that now, especially in light of the fact that three weeks ago Alexis had called _Kate_ for help when she was in trouble.

"No," Alexis replied, checking the zipper of her backpack, "...no problem."

"So, what's in the grocery bag? Are you contributing to brunch?"

"No, I have a study group later today and I promised to bring cookies and brownies. Soooo, it's okay if I make them here, right?"

"Of course," He replied, smiling brightly. "Anything to get you to spend a little time with your old dad! I can help you, if you like?"

"No, no, that's okay. I can manage. It'll be fun. I don't get to do any baking at school." Alexis replied, helping herself to a glass of orange juice just as Martha made her grand entrance down the staircase, all bright colors and silky fabric.

"Alexis, darling!" She exclaimed, hugging the ginger haired girl. "I'm so glad you decided to come!"

"Me too, Gram." Alexis said, picking up her laundry bag. "I'm just going to throw this in the wash."

Martha watched her granddaughter disappear around the corner before turning to Castle. "Do you think she looks alright?"

He looked up, startled, "What do you mean?"

Just then, Kate appeared from the bedroom doorway, wearing faded jeans and a maroon turtle neck sweater, her long caramel hair falling loosely around her shoulders. She took Castle's breath away. Every time.

"Hello, Kate," Martha greeted warmly, before turning back to her son. "I mean, she looks too thin. Isn't the freshman fifteen supposed to be weight gain? Not weight _loss_?"

"Who are you talking about? Alexis?" Kate asked, popping a red grape into her mouth before Castle playfully swatted her hand away.

"Yes. I don't think she looks well."

Before anyone could respond, Alexis rounded the corner, slowing down when she saw three sets of eyes staring back at her, scrutinizing her. "What?" She asked, looking from one to the other to the other.

"Oh, well, darling. I was just telling your father that I don't think you're getting enough to eat at college. You look dreadfully thin." She sidled up to Alexis, placing her hand on the younger girls hip, "You're skin and _bones_, Alexis. Are you eating okay? Is everything alright?"

Alexis made a face, "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just busy, so I probably have been burning more calories than usual." The redness on her face betraying a truth she was unwilling, or unable, to reveal.

Something was going on with her. But, she wasn't telling. Castle frowned, glancing at Kate who was scrutinizing Alexis with concerned eyes, a telltale line forming between them.

"Honey, if you need extra food..."

"Dad!" Alexis interrupted, her voice dripping with exasperation, "Will you stop? I'm fine!" She plopped down at the dining room table, which had already been set for Sunday brunch. "Are we going to eat, now?"

After some initial awkwardness, the conversation over brunch turned playful and quick. Alexis regaled them with stories of on-campus life, and Martha entertained them with a story about a student of hers who had been cast in a television commercial, not realizing until it was too late that it was an ad for Viagra.

"Oh, you should have seen the poor fellow. He spent the first fifteen minutes of class convincing everyone that, while he had sympathy for those who suffered from, well, you know, that he, himself, _regularly_ banged his wife like a screen door in a hurricane!"

"Mother!" Castle admonished, his eyes darting towards Alexis.

"Oh, please, Richard. She's in college now, I'm sure she's heard worse."

Alexis rolled her eyes, "I heard worse in middle school. Jeez, Dad, when did you become such a buttoned up prude?"

Kate laughed, covering her mouth with her napkin for fear that the coffee she'd just drank would come spurting through her nose.

* * *

Once the food was put away and the dishes were rinsed and racked in the dishwasher, Martha dashed out to do some early Christmas shopping while Kate plopped down on the couch to read a book. Castle joined her, with a stack of fan mail his publisher had dropped off earlier in the week.

"You know, I never get tired of reading this stuff." He said, spinning on his butt to rest his feet on one end of the couch, while cradling his head in her lap at the other end.

Her hand instinctively creeping to his head, her fingers combing his hair, twirling tufts of it between them, she continued to read her book.

"Mmm Hmm," She replied, not really paying attention.

"Like this one. She's proposing marriage. If I had a nickel for every one of these I got, I'd be a millionaire. Oh, wait, I am a millionaire. Ha ha."

"That's nice."

He arched his neck to look up at her. "I might just take her up on it."

"Okay."

"Kate!"

She set her book down, annoyed. "What?"

"You're not listening to me," he accused.

"Yes, I am. Marriage proposals, millionaire, you're going to say 'I do'. Got it." She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, her lips lingering for a beat before sitting back up. "But, I would really like to read my book, now."

"What are you reading, anyway?"

She held the book up for him to see. _Merry_ _Christmas_ by James Patterson.

"Ugh!" He balled his hand into a fist and made a stabbing gesture over his heart. "You're killing me!"

"What?" She asked, wide-eyed.

"Kate. He's my competition."

"You play poker with the guy!"

"It's a betrayal." He said in mock indignation.

She playfully slapped his cheek, "Oh _puh_! You have a whole bookcase full of Alex Cross mysteries." She leaned down again and kissed him, this time on the lips. Their kiss soft and warm, lingering, full of the desire they each felt for the other. She slipped one hand beneath his shirt and patted his chest reassuringly. Their lips parting, she said, "You're the only mystery writer in my _heart_, Castle. But, unless you can start churning out one book a month, I'm going to have to _read_ other authors."

"Ahem," Alexis interrupted. Castle and Kate swiveled their heads around to see Alexis standing behind the couch. "You guys want a cookie? Fresh from the oven." She held out a plate.

"Ooooh," Castle moaned. "Yes, I love chocolate chip cookies!" He swung his legs around and sat up. Kate already missing the weight of him on her lap.

"Brownies are in the oven, so I'm gonna go fold my laundry." Alexis explained, turning on her heel and heading back to the kitchen.

Kate and Castle returned to their spots on the couch, quickly resuming the warm, familiar, soothing activity of just being, even if they weren't fully engaged. Kate's hand continued to trace lazy circles in Castle's hair, sometimes moving to rest on his chest, her fingers playfully tickling him.

The timer on the oven dinged, and when Alexis didn't respond to it, Castle grunted off the couch and pulled the chocolate brownies out of the oven with oven mitted hands.

"Mmmmm, I might have to have one of these, too." He teased a knife from the cutlery block and cut into the brownie batch.

"Put the knife down, and step away from the brownies," Alexis ordered, panic replacing her normally serene features.

"Wha-?"

"I mean it, dad. Those aren't for you!"

"Oh, c'mon Alexis, just one?" He continued to cut.

"No!" She reached him and grabbed the knife from his hand, tossing it into the sink before realizing, horrified, that she'd accidentally cut him with it.

"Jeez, ouch! Alexis!"

Kate heard the alarm in his voice and dogeared the page she was on, tossing the book onto the coffee table. She hurried to the kitchen. "What happened?"

His hand dripping blood into the sink, she reached over and turned on the water, guiding his hand beneath its steady stream.

"I'm so sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to _cut_ you!

"It's okay, honey. It was an accident." He frowned, grimacing at the sharp pain radiating from the wound on the palm of his right hand. "But, what's the big deal with the brownies, anyway? Ouch! Kate, careful" He snapped as she manipulated his skin, trying to get it clean.

"Nothing, no, it's just that I only have enough for everyone in the study group! Dad, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, I think I'll survive."

Kate turned off the water then dabbed at the wound with a paper towel, blood instantly soaking through. She covered the wound with another paper towel, "Hold that," she instructed Castle.

"Dad." Alexis looked about to cry.

He tucked her under his arm, "Don't worry, sweetheart, it's nothing, just a little flesh wound."

"Is the first aid kit in the bathroom?" Kate asked

"Yeah, under the sink," Castle replied.

"Maybe I shouldn't go, Dad are you going to be okay?" Her eyes rimmed with remorseful tears.

"Honey, go. I'm fine. I've got Beckett to take care of me."

She paused.

"Alexis, go. It's fine."

She considered him, then kissed him on the cheek. Wrapping the brownies in tin foil, she grabbed her laundry bag and backpack. "I'll call you later. Make sure you're okay. Okay?"

"Fine," He said, grabbing another paper towel to cover the blood soaked one already on his hand. "Go, have fun with your study group."

She hesitated, ruminating whether to stay, when Kate came back from the bathroom holding the first aid kit, and Castle waived her out the front door. She waved back, looking miserable, before letting herself out.

"I don't know Castle, you might need stitches, this is a pretty deep cut."

"No, it's fine." He pressed a fresh paper towel over the wound.

Kate picked up the bloody paper towels and hit the foot pedal on the waste can to drop them in when something caught her eye. She reached in and pulled out a 2x3 sized baggie, holding it in front of her face. "Castle."

He glanced at her, wincing in pain after examining the still bleeding cut. The paper towels were doing nothing to stop the flow of blood and he was starting to think maybe Kate was right, he might need stitches. "What? What is it?"

She opened the baggie and sniffed. "Oh, god. Castle." She stepped closer to him, her face rearranging itself into lines of worry. "This had _marijuana_ in it!"

His head snapped up, his hand forgotten. "What?"

"Castle. She didn't want you touching the brownies because those are no ordinary brownies!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kate looked incredulous. "Castle, she was making _pot_ brownies!"

His jaw dropped, his eyes roaming from the baggie to her and back again. "No, no way."

"Castle, I know what pot smells like." She held the baggie open for him. "Smell!"

He leaned in and sniffed, his eyes growing wide with disbelief.

"Oh, Castle, you're dripping blood all over the place." She grabbed a clean dishtowel and wrapped his bloodied hand in it. "C'mon. I'm taking you to the Emergency Room."

"What do we do about this?" He gestured at the baggie, and then picked up the knife from the sink, remnants of the brownies still sticking to it.

Kate reached under the sink and shook out a paper bag, dropping the knife and baggie inside. "I'll take it to Lanie tomorrow for testing. Just to be sure."

'But, she's out there, right now. Eating _pot_ brownies!"

"Castle. I'm guessing it's not her first time."

He slumped against the counter. "First the frat party and now this? What's happening to her?"

"Let's talk about it on the way to the hospital." Kate reached for his uninjured hand and held it in her own, squeezing gently. "Castle, we'll figure it out, okay? But we need to get that hand looked at."

"Yeah, okay," he said reluctantly. "I just don't understand what's happening to my baby girl." His throat constricting.

She reached up and caressed his cheek, her eyes searching his. "She has you, and Martha," She took a breath, "...and me. If she's going through something, we'll help her through it."

He nodded, even though he felt uncertain. In her eighteen, nearly nineteen, years, he'd always known how to fix things for her. But this, this was out of his control.

And, it scared the crap out of him.

* * *

**A/N: I would like to thank Brooke for allowing me to steal the line about the screen door in a hurricane. She knows how to throw around one liners like a twirling dervish, and she generously told me to "go for it" when I asked if I could steal it. Seemed fitting that it should come out of Martha's mouth! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Laser Tagged**

**Chapter Four**

**By Dana Keylits**

"Look, it's definitely pot, but _why_ are you guys so worried? She's a college freshman, this stuff is _normal_ when you're that age." Lanie placed the plastic evidence bag containing the knife and baggie on the table in front of Castle, who was sitting at the conference table in the break room looking like his best friend had just died. She sat across from him and reached for his hand. "Lemme see that."

He watched as she removed the bandage that had been hastily wrapped around his hand by, what could only be described as a twelve year-old ER intern, the night before. She unwound it, then peeled off the sticky bandage to examine the stitches, her hand gently cradling his. "These are nice. Very neat, tight. You'll barely have a scar, Castle." She replaced both bandages and then patted the back of his hand reassuringly.

"Thanks," he murmured, examining the bandage, appreciating the care she took in wrapping it so uniformly.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that, Lanie," Kate responded as she took a seat next to Castle and handed him a mug full of coffee. "Given how anti-drug you are."

"Well, you don't work in a morgue and not see what drug and alcohol abuse does to people, _including_ marijuana," she took note of the rising alarm on Castle's face and patted her hand on the table in front of him. "...but a little experimenting in college is perfectly normal. And, as far as drugs go, pot is pretty tame."

"Have you used it?" Castle asked.

"Oh, hell no. But, not because I'm some kind of goodie two shoes. I wouldn't put that crap in my body any more than I'd put a Big Mac in my body. Ugh!" She shivered for effect. "We've got enough chemicals poisoning us just by breathing in the air." She waved her hand in front of her. "I'm not about to make it worse with _that_ stuff," she chin-nodded toward the bag in front of Castle. Besides, I get high on _life_, baby, I don't need the artificial kind."

"Well, I need to _talk_ to her about it, don't you think?"

"Of course you do, just don't _panic_ yet," Lanie advised, gathering her purse and coat. She pointed at his hand, "...and take that bandage off tonight, let the wound breathe, okay?"

He nodded.

"Alright. I gotta go, I have an autopsy waiting."

"Thanks, Lanie. We're still on for drinks later?" Kate asked.

"Of course. Call me when you're done here."

Kate nodded and Lanie made her way out of the room and to the elevator.

"Look at that," Kate said, amused. Esposito had jumped up as soon as Lanie exited the room and was now following her to the elevator like a brand new puppy in love.

Castle halfheartedly smiled and then fingered the edges of the plastic bag in front of him. "I'm scared, Kate. I know I shouldn't be. When I was her age, I did _a lot_ worse things than she's done. It's just _so_ out of character for her."

Kate nodded. "I agree. But, I also agree with Lanie. Let's just keep our eyes open, give Alexis some room, and let her know she can always come to us."

He nodded.

"But, we do need to talk to her about bringing drugs to your loft. I'm a cop, Castle. I cannot be around that stuff. She needs to understand that, okay?"

He nodded again.

He was on the verge of tears and it tugged at her heart. He'd been such a good dad, and she'd never before given him cause to worry, which was why he was _so_ worried _now_. He'd never had to go through this before. She wanted to strangle Alexis for putting him through this. On the other hand, she certainly understood the girls need to spread her wings. She just hoped she wasn't spreading them _too _wide.

She patted his knee, "It'll be okay."

* * *

Alexis arrived at the precinct and Kate was worried about having this conversation with her here. She'd advised Castle to speak with her privately, but he'd insisted he wanted Kate in on the conversation, and since she was going out with Lanie tonight, it would have to be now.

"Then, we should take her out for coffee or something, because if we do this here, Castle, she's gonna think we're treating her like a criminal."

"Good! Maybe that's what she needs," he'd angrily replied.

She'd just stared at him, chewing her bottom lip, worried that he was just going to drive a wedge between them. "Castle, maybe you should let me do the talking?"

"What?"

"You're really angry, that's not the best time to talk with her."

"Thanks for the advice, Kate. But, until you have a teenage daughter of your own..."

She winced, "Ouch."

He looked startled and reached over the desk to pat her hand, "I'm sorry. Kate, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

She felt wounded, and suddenly didn't want to participate in this at all. "I think you should talk to her on your own," she replied, curtly, opening a file on her desk and pretending to study it.

"Kate."

She looked at him with eyes that nakedly betrayed her hurt feelings.

"I'm sorry."

She softened, sighing. "I believe you, Rick. But, I still think you should talk to her by yourself. I don't want her to think of me as a cop, I want her to think of me as an ally. Okay?" She leaned back and folded her hands to rest them beneath her chin. "That isn't going to happen if you and I go in there playing good cop/bad cop. Go, take her to the coffee shop downstairs, and talk to her. I'll be here. If you need me, you can text."

Just then the elevator doors opened and Alexis looked warily around, spotting her dad and Kate, and made her way to them. Castle stood up and hugged his daughter, melting as he always does anytime she looks at him. She saw his bandaged hand and a look of pure agony skittered across her face.

"Oh, your hand. Dad."

He blinked, pursing his lips, "It's fine, honey. Just a couple of stitches." He glanced at Kate, "Why don't you and I go downstairs to grab a hot chocolate? I have something I need to talk to you about."

Alexis looked at Kate and then back to her dad. "What is it?"

"Let's just go downstairs, okay?"

She looked concerned, but shrugged. "Okay."

Kate watched them leave together and crossed her fingers that Castle wouldn't lose his cool. He seemed to have calmed down. _Taking his frustration out on me seems to have helped,_ she thought, irritated. She would be talking to him about _that_ later.

* * *

Alexis was fuming. How dare he think he can lecture _her_ about responsibility. She was the only member of their family who had ever shown even a modicum of responsibility. And now, now that she was doing what _he_ had always told her to do, he's going to sit here and lecture her? Well, he could talk all he wanted, she was _not_ going to listen.

"Dad. You're overreacting. If you can tell me that _you_ never did anything wrong when you were my age, then we can talk. Otherwise, I think we're done." She stood up, grabbing her cup of hot chocolate from the table.

"Alexis, sit down. We are not done."

She tried to stare him down, but he was an expert, so she sat, petulantly crossing her arms and legs.

"Look, honey. I'm not trying to make you feel badly. I get it, you're going to experiment. God knows, I did worse. But, this is so _unlike_ you, how can you sit there and _not_ expect me to worry?" His voice cracked. "I love you."

She softened, his hangdog expression and misty eyes taking the wind out of her anger sails. She loved him, too. And, she didn't want to make him worry, didn't want to hurt him.

"Dad. I need you to trust me, okay? I won't let anything get out of hand. My grades are still up, I'm making it to all of my classes, I haven't missed a day of my internship in the morgue. I promise, the thing with the pot was a one time deal."

"About that. Honey, I cannot have drugs in my house." He held up a staying palm when she opened her mouth to respond. "Kate is a cop. She could get into real trouble being anywhere near that. Okay?"

"It won't happen again," she answered, truthfully. She didn't really like the way pot made her feel, anyway. And, she didn't want to get Kate in trouble. In spite of the misgivings she had about her father being in a relationship with the detective – like how long was _that_ going to last? She respected and was genuinely fond of Kate.

"Okay. Good." He said, "Now drink your hot chocolate."

She made a face, but did as she was told, a surreptitious grin spreading across her face. This was nice, she reluctantly admitted. It had been awhile since she'd had him to herself, and in spite of her initial indignation, she was happy to be here with him. A familiar warmth spreading over her, she settled into her chair, sipped her hot chocolate, and filled her dad in on everything that was going on in her life.

Well, _almost_ everything.

* * *

It was the first time Kate had been out without Castle in weeks. And, while she loved spending time with him, she missed Lanie. It seemed, as both of their lives had filled up with other things, not the least of which were the men in their lives, they were seeing less and less of each other. Kate was determined to not let her relationship with Castle interfere with her friendship with Lanie.

So, they'd planned a girls night out and were painting the town. At least as much as their tired bodies would allow after a long day of work.

They'd decided to hit a favorite hole-in-the-wall bar closer to Lanie's place for drinks and amusement. It was more of a college hangout, but Kate liked it because it was low-key, had cheap beer, and large comfy booths.

Halfway through their meal, Kate looked up and was surprised to see Alexis stumbling through the front door. She was with the same boy from the other night and from the look of it, had already been drinking.

"Lanie!" She spat, putting down her fork and wiping her mouth with the paper napkin that had been resting in her lap. She chin nodded in Alexis' direction.

Lanie's eyes followed the direction of Kate's pointing chin and then turned back to Kate, smiling. "Looks like our girl is having some _fun_ tonight."

"You think so? You think that's all it is?" Kate asked, raising her beer glass and taking a sip before setting it back down, "Because, I'm kind of worried about her."

"Why? Didn't you go a little wild in college?" Lanie asked, stabbing at the salad with her fork and taking a bite.

"No," Kate replied, shaking her head. "I went through a phase in high school, but my mom died when I was a freshman at Stanford, so, I kind of skipped that whole college party scene. Plus, my dad, with the drinking. I just didn't want to be like that."

Lanie nodded sympathetically. "Well, it's perfectly normal." She could tell Kate wasn't convinced. "Look, if she starts missing classes, or work, and I'll let you know if that happens, or if her grades slip, _then you start to worry_."

"She got herself into some trouble, though," Kate replied, knowing Lanie hadn't yet heard the story of Alexis' drunken frat party antics. She filled her friend in and was relieved when she saw a worry frown cloud Lanie's face.

"Well, that is concerning, but it might still just be a one time thing. The black-out, I mean." Lanie turned in Alexis' direction, the girl and her friend had found a corner booth and were joined by another couple. "You gave her the talk, right? The _how to be safe_ talk?"

"Yeah, yeah. And, she did call me, so, I know she will at least reach out to me if she gets in over her head."

"Well, then. I say you just let her spread her wings a little, and worry when it's time to worry, okay?"

Kate glanced in Alexis' direction. The girl had a glass of water in front of her, but was drinking from Peter's glass of beer. She hadn't yet seen Kate, and Kate hadn't decided if that was a good or bad thing. "Okay," she reluctantly agreed, picking up a fry and nibbling on it. "I guess."

But an hour later, it was Lanie singing another tune. "She's out of control, Kate." The ME said, concern etched on her otherwise serene face.

"I told you!" Kate hissed. "What do we do?"

Alexis was clearly intoxicated and her date was taking full advantage. On the small corner dance floor, he was bumping and grinding against the ginger-haired girl, and Kate was not at all happy about where his hands were roaming.

"If Castle were here, his _head_ would explode!" Kate observed. "We need to make sure she doesn't leave with that guy. I already warned him once about supplying a minor with alcohol. I should just go arrest him." Kate said, reaching behind her for her handcuffs.

"No!" Lanie said, placing her hand on Kate's wrist. "No, that will only make things worse."

But, as they watched Castle's normally level-headed daughter drunkenly sway to the music and then get dragged by her date towards the unisex bathroom, they both shot up and out of their seats. Alexis was shaking her head, clearly not wanting to go with him.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Kate was between them, her finger poking into Peter's chest, her other hand wrapped around Alexis' shoulders.

"Back off, Romeo." Kate warned.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Alexis announced, her voice low and gravely.

Kate glanced at Lanie who was already shepherding Alexis towards the bathrooms. She turned back to Peter.

"I.D." She ordered. This was not a question.

"I didn't do anything!" He implored defiantly, though his eyes betrayed _some_ fear.

Kate didn't move a muscle. "I.D. _Now_!"

He regarded her, and when he could tell she was not going to back down, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed over his I.D.

"Now, sit. Down. _There_." She pointed at a nearby empty booth, and pulled out her phone to call in his information.

She was on hold with the precinct when Lanie escorted Alexis out of the bathroom, looking pale and shaky. Lanie took her back to the booth where she and Kate had been sitting, and ordered a coffee for the girl. When she was satisfied that Alexis wasn't going anywhere, she marched over to Peter.

"Are you stupid or something?" She yelled, standing over the boy, her hands on her hips. "Do you know what kind of trouble you are in? Do you know what kind of trouble you could have gotten _her_ into?"

He was staring at the floor as though finding the scuff marks there rather interesting.

"Look at me, boy, when I talk to you, or so help me god I will slap you into next week!" Lanie threatened, one hand raised as though she really _were_ going to slap him.

"Okay," Kate interjected, positioning herself between Lanie and Peter, the phone still up to her ear as she waited for the information on the young man to come in. "Lanie, why don't you go sit with Alexis, I've got this."

Lanie gave him the death stare, then turned on her heel.

Kate looked at the boy, "And you thought I was bad," she chuckled, then gave him _her _death stare when he smiled at her. "You shouldn't be smiling right now, you're in a lot of trouble, son."

Just then the officer on the other end was rattling off information about Peter, and Kate was furiously scribbling notes on her notepad. She looked at him again, then at Alexis, who was being coaxed by Lanie into drinking some coffee, then back at him, her eyes narrowed. "Really? That many? Then, yes, please, send a uniform." She hit the end button and stuffed her phone in her back pocket.

"Stand up, Peter," She ordered, pulling out her handcuffs, "You are under _arrest_."


	5. Chapter 5

**Laser Tagged**

**By Dana Keylits**

Lanie paced back and forth in front of her bathroom door, nibbling on her thumbnail and throwing worried glances at Kate who was propped against the wall, her legs crossed at the ankle, arms folded across her chest.

"Are you okay in there, honey?" Lanie called out.

A soft moan from the other side of the door told her that at least Alexis wasn't passed out on the cold tile floor. She was further reassured by the sounds of the toilet flushing, water splashing against the porcelain sink, and the familiar squeak of the towel rack. The door slowly creaked open and Alexis appeared, wearing a pair of Lanie's flannel pajamas.

"Oh, good. They fit. I've got the couch all made up for you," Lanie explained as she gently guided Alexis down the hall and to her living room, Kate following them. The large pull-out sofa was made with fresh linen and a warm blanket. Lanie had placed a large tumbler of water on the table beside it. "You should drink plenty of water, okay? Every time you wake up, drink more water. It'll help with the headache you're sure to get by morning."

"Mmm hmm,"Alexis mumbled, her eyes half closed. She turned her head in Kate's direction. "I suppose you're going to tell my father?"

"Alexis, I'm sorry, but yes. I can't..." She glanced at Lanie who nodded, approvingly. "Your dad and I don't keep secrets from each other."

Alexis snorted, "Oh yeah? Since when?"

Ouch. That hurt. Kate knew exactly to what the girl was referring. "Okaaaay, I guess I deserved that. But, let me clarify. Since we've been _together_, your dad and I don't keep secrets from each other."

"Fine." Alexis slurred, "Fine. Whatever. It's not like he didn't do worse when he was my age." Alexis crawled onto the hide-a-bed on her hands and knees, then settled back on her haunches, grabbing her head with both hands. "Ugh. The room is spinning."

Kate turned to Lanie. "I'm gonna head to to the precinct, see how things are going there. I'll give you a call later?"

Lanie nodded. "We'll be fine. Alexis just needs to sleep it off."

"Detective?" Alexis rubbed her temples, "I'm, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." she sighed, "...thank you, for, you know, for everything tonight."

Kate gently smiled, "Of course."

"And, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's already forgotten," Kate replied, leaning down to pat Alexis on the shoulder. "Now, get some sleep. I imagine we'll be seeing each other in the morning."

Kate and Lanie shared a knowing look, Castle was _not_ going to be happy about tonight's developments, particularly the lecherous actions of one Peter Marshall.

* * *

"Is that the little weasel?" Castle asked, his jaw clenched, his hands balled up into angry fists as he paced back and forth in front of the one-way mirror.

"Yep, Beckett's just finishing up." Ryan explained. "We can't really hold him on anything, but he's got a bench warrant for some unpaid parking tickets, so when she's done schooling him, she'll pass him off downstairs. They'll process him and he'll be able to go home. He might have to stay the night, though. So, hopefully that will scare some sense into him."

Castle watched Kate with admiring eyes as she interrogated the boy who'd gotten Alexis drunk. He appreciated her mama-grizzly demeanor, and he briefly smiled, because Kate cared, she cared about Alexis and that meant they were now a family, a real family. Warts and all.

She'd told him over the phone not to come, but he'd insisted. He wanted to see for himself who this kid was, and he'd promised her he wouldn't do anything stupid. But the rage that washed over him when he saw the smug smile on the little weasels face as Beckett tried, in vain, to impress upon him the seriousness of what was happening, made him reconsider that promise.

"Peter, do you understand that Alexis did not want to go with you into that bathroom?" She asked, sitting calmly in front of the boy. "Do you understand that when a woman says no, that means you back off? Even if they're drunk? Even if they're sending, what _you_ perceive to be, mixed signals? Do you get that?"

"Alexis was the one who called _me_, Detective!" Peter said, pointing at his own chest for emphasis. "She _wanted_ to hang out with us, she _wanted_ to drink, and from the way she was grinding into me on that dance floor, she _definitely_ wanted," he paused, ran his fingers through his hair, then leaned back, his fingers laced behind his head, a smirk on his face, "..._more_. If you get my meaning."

Castle screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to steady himself, but he saw nothing but the searing hot white light of rage dancing against the backdrop of his eyelids, and he felt like his head was about to explode. Before Ryan even knew what was happening, Castle had stormed out of the observation room and into interrogation. Kate jumped up when he burst through the door, but was unable to stop him. He grabbed Peter by the collar of his blue polo shirt, dragged him out of the metal chair, sending it crashing onto the floor, and shoved the boy up against the wall. He slapped Peter's cheek twice, "Listen to me!" he hissed, his breath hot on the weasels cheek, he held the boy by the throat. "You little turd, if you so much as _think_ about going near my daughter again, I will make your life _very_ uncomfortable! Are we clear? Do you get _my_ meaning?"

"Castle!" Kate yelled, trying to pull him back but he was an immovable force, a brick wall.

Castle tightened his hold, his eyes blazing. If he'd been a cartoon, steam would have been shooting out of both ears. Peter whimpered, struggling against Castle's vice-like grip, until Kate, LT, and Ryan managed to pull Castle off the boy, who grabbed at his throat and started coughing as soon as Castle released him.

"_Did_ _you_ _hear_ _me_?!" Castle roared, even as he was being held back by the three cops.

Peter looked at him, fire in _his_ eyes. "I want to file a complaint! This is police harassment!"

Kate raised an eyebrow in disbelief, temporarily considering letting Castle take a second crack at the wiseass. "You're kidding, right?"

Peter straightened up, rubbing his neck. "No, this is police brutality."

Castle got control of himself and stopped fighting against Ryan and L.T., who were still holding him back. "You're a stupid little jackass, aren't you?"

Peter looked warily at Castle, then returned his gaze to Kate. "I wish to file a formal complaint."

Kate shook her head. 'Well, that's not going to happen, son. First of all," she thumbed at Castle as she walked towards the boy, "...he's not a cop. And, second of all, I didn't see anything! Did you, Ryan?"

"Nope, didn't see anything."

"L.T.?" Kate asked, still approaching Peter, even as he was backing into the corner.

"Sorry, didn't see anything." L.T. replied.

"So, you see? There's simply nothing to report." Kate shrugged.

"I want a copy of the tape!" Peter cried, pointing at the close-circuit camera mounted in the corner of the room. "I'm in law school and I know my rights!"

Kate was standing directly in front of him now. "Well then, genius, you should know that since this wasn't an official interrogation, _there_ _is_ _no_ _tape_. The camera wasn't even on!"

She pulled out her handcuffs and ordered him to turn around, and when he didn't, she forced him, slamming him up against the wall. "Now, here's what's going to happen. I am going to take you downstairs where they're going to process you for your bench warrant, you'll probably be spending the night with us, so get comfy. And then, Peter? Listen to me very carefully, I never want to see you again. I never want to hear about you, or find out that you were anywhere near Alexis. Because if I do? Well, lets just say that you will be on the receiving end of an up close and personal demonstration of exactly what police harassment feels like." She spins him around so he's facing her and pokes a finger into his chest. "Don't forget, I saw the paraphernalia in your apartment, and I can get a warrant in about five minutes to search your place. You think you'll have any future in law when you're busted on drug trafficking?" She stared at him, her eyes narrowing. "Got it?"

He nodded.

"Good." Kate signaled for L.T. and Ryan to take Castle out of the room, not wanting to risk having Castle attack the boy again. "Let's go."

* * *

Castle agreed to leave Alexis where she was. He'd wanted to storm over to Lanie's, make sure his daughter was alright, but Kate had convinced him that it would be much better if he just let her sleep and deal with it in the morning.

"Let's just go. You wanna come to my place? Spend the night?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, okay." Castle agreed.

When they got to her apartment, Kate peeled off her clothes and changed into pajamas while Castle made them tea. It was late, they were both tired, but too wired to sleep yet.

They sat across from each other at her dining room table. "Kate, what's happening? This just isn't like Alexis and I can't seem to say or do anything to make a difference."

Kate sighed, "I don't know. Castle, it _could_ just be a phase. But, I think we need to prepare for the possibility that Alexis has a real problem."

He looked up, startled. "What do you mean?"

"She could be an alcoholic." Kate suggested.

He shook his head, "No. No, she's too smart to..."

Kate interrupted him, shocked, "Too smart? Castle, alcoholism is a disease, a persons _intelligence_ has no more bearing on whether they are or are not an alcoholic than it does on whether a person is or isn't a diabetic!"

"Kate. She's not an alcoholic, okay? I see the drunks that are brought into the precinct every day! She is NOT that."

"Really?" Kate was fuming, "_That's_ what you think an alcoholic looks like?" She grabbed her mug of tea and stood up. "Because I can tell you, that your view is slightly skewed, Rick. Need I remind you that my dad is a recovering alcoholic? Or, have you forgotten that? Or, do you think he's not as _smart_ as Alexis?!" She turned on her heel and stormed to the bedroom.

He joined her a few minutes later, a hangdog expression on his face. Kate was tucked into bed, a book open in her lap. She was furiously rubbing lotion on her hands.

"I'm sorry." He offered, hiking one leg up and sitting on the bed, facing her. "I'm sorry, Kate. I wasn't thinking."

She just glared at him.

"Of course I don't think your dad is stupid. I get it. I do. I'm just," his voice faltered as tears rimmed his eyes, "I'm just _scared_," he sobbed.

She softened, then gathered him into her arms. "Shhhhh, Castle. It'll be okay. Alright? We're going to help her through this, whatever it is. Okay?" She felt him nod. "And, it could be nothing. It could just be the normal stuff college freshman go through!"

"I know," he replied as he pulled out of her embrace. "And, maybe I'm overreacting. God knows, I did a lot of foolish things at her age. It's just." He scrubbed his face with both hands. "It's just, she's my kid, you know? I worry about her!"

Kate nodded, her heart filling for him. _This_ was the Castle that she adored. The doting, worried, loving father. It was one of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him. "I know." She patted the bed beside her. "Come in to bed. Let's get some sleep."

"Kay," he replied, standing up and slipping out of his jeans and oxford shirt. He slid beneath the covers and they kissed. Softly, gently, reassuringly. He clicked the light off on his side of the bed and turned away from her, curling into the fetal position.

Kate rubbed his back, slipping her hand beneath his t-shirt to caress his bare skin. Then she returned to her book until she could no longer keep her eyes open. She placed the bookmark on the page she was reading, set the book on the bedside table, switched off the light, then turned on her side to spoon the already sound-asleep Castle.

As her eyes fluttered shut, she sighed, hoping with every fiber that things would look better by morning.

* * *

Peter sat in his cell, wide-awake, fuming. How dare that Detective treat him like that? Alexis had _wanted_ it. He hadn't done _anything_ wrong and that bitch had no right to haul him off to jail!

Peter had to admit that he was slightly more intimidated by Alexis' crazy father, but what could _he_ to do to him, really? Nothing. Peter was pretty sure the old man was all bark and no bite.

His hand involuntarily fluttered to his neck, rubbing the welt that had formed there._ Well, almost no bite_, he thought.

As he sat on the hard bench in his jail cell, he began to plot his revenge. No way was he going to let them get away with treating him this way. If he couldn't go through formal channels, well, he'd go through _informal_ channels. Chiefly, Alexis.

And then they'd be sorry.

They'd be _real_ sorry for the way they'd treated him tonight.

**A/N: I apologize for the lag in updates. It's been a busy month at work, but things will be calmer now, and I plan to have new chapters posted on a much more timely schedule! Thanks for sticking with it! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Laser Tagged**

**By Dana Keylits**

**Chapter Six**

She awoke slowly, in a haze, unfamiliar with the feel of the mattress below her, the weight of the heavy wool blanket covering her.

Bathed by the morning sun as it spilled in through the long windows to her left, a searing pain cut across her eyes as she tried to open them, acting as a harbinger of the groggy discomfort that was about to become her day.

Alexis covered her eyes, then slowly blinked them open. Her tongue felt thick, her teeth fuzzy, her head pounded in a painfully familiar way, and it took a few seconds before it registered in her foggy mind that she was not in her own bed. _Again_.

Panic rushed through her. She reached out with one arm to sweep the sheets, make sure no one else was in the bed with her, breathing a sigh of relief as her hands found nothing, or more precisely, no _one_. She struggled to remember what had happened last night.

She moaned, stared at the ceiling and rubbed her temples. How many times was she going to let herself do this? She kicked herself, and vowed, as she had many times before, that this was the last time she was going to wake up with a hangover.

Of course, she'd said that before, and then she'd be at a party or hanging out with friends, or sometimes just alone studying, and she'd think, what the hell? Why not have fun?

But she had almost always paid a price for it, and it was starting to get old. She wasn't liking herself, she wasn't liking _college_, in fact, she wasn't liking much of _anything_. And, she'd been staying away from Gram and her dad because they knew something was going on with her, and she couldn't face their disappointment.

She propped herself up by the elbows, slowly lifting her head to look around the room. She tried to remember where she was.

Then her eyes fell on the figure sitting in the corner, and she gasped, startled, her hand fluttering up to cover her mouth.

"Well, good morning," Lanie greeted from her chair, a newspaper folded in her lap. She was dressed for work in a smart black business suit. "How are you feeling?" She smiled.

Alexis wanted to crawl under the covers and die. Why was she at Dr. Parish's apartment? Glimmers of memory licked at her consciousness and she grimaced. "Oh, Dr. Parish, Oh, I. I'm sorry. I..."

Lanie shook her head, "Don't do that, Alexis. You don't have to apologize to me."

Alexis was mortified! Dr. Parish was her _boss_. Well, not really her boss, but _kind_ of like her boss since Alexis was still interning part-time at the morgue. She hadn't worked in awhile because of school, but still, this was bad. Very, very bad.

"What do you remember about last night?"

Alexis scrunched up her face, cutting through the cobwebs that had gathered in the corners of her brain, searching for any scrap of memory of last night. "Not very much, I'm afraid. How did I get here?" She scooted herself up and leaned against the cushions of the sofa-bed, looked around, then down at herself. She tugged at the front of the red flannel pajamas she was wearing, undoubtedly belonging to Dr. Parish, and she wanted to curl up and disappear all over again.

A line formed between Lanie's eyes. "Alexis, you were at a bar last night. With that boy, Peter?"

Alexis slowly nodded, this was beginning to sound familiar. "Right. Right. I remember now, you and Detective Beckett were there." She raised her eyes to meet Lanie's. "He was..."

Lanie stood up and crossed the room, then took a seat on the edge of the hideaway bed, facing Alexis. "He was trying to take advantage of you, honey."

She felt nauseous and covered her mouth. It was starting to come back to her. Hazy images of them drinking, then dancing, and then...and then all of a sudden things had _shifted_ and he'd started groping her, grinding himself against her, he'd kissed her and plunged his tongue into her mouth, shoving her towards the bathroom, telling her he had _protection_, so it was okay.

She'd been pretty out of it, but "with it" enough to know that she had not wanted to be kissing him like that, much less, have sex with him in the bathroom! She'd tried to resist, but he'd just kept _pushing_ her, and she'd felt confused, and conflicted, and scared.

And then Kate was there, and Dr. Parish, from out of _nowhere_, and they'd gotten her away from Peter. And then, then...

Oh God, she'd gotten sick.

Alexis looked at Lanie with wide eyes, "I am so sorry you had to see me get sick like that," adding meekly, "thank you for holding my hair back."

Lanie frowned. "Girl, I work in a _morgue_, do you really think watching you lose your dinner is any big thing?"

"No, but, it's...no." Alexis studied her hands as they lay limply in her lap, her eyes clouding with tears that were determined to spill down her cheeks. She tried unsuccessfully to blink them away.

And suddenly Lanie's palm was caressing her cheek and she was shushing her, "Oh, honey. What's going on? Do you know how worried your dad and Kate are about you?"

Alexis looked up, surprised, her eyes red and rimmed with salty tears. "Kate is...? Detective Beckett's worried about me?"

Lanie gave her a sympathetic look, "Of course she's worried about you! She _cares_ about you, Alexis!"

"I'm not ready for that," Alexis replied, shaking her head and, using the back of her hand, wiped the snot that was running from her nose.

"You're not ready for what?" Lanie asked, grabbing the box of tissues that were sitting beside the bed and handing them to her.

Alexis didn't know. At least, she wasn't willing to explore it. Something about Detective Beckett, Kate, something about _that_ she wasn't ready for. She wiped her eyes and looked at Lanie, squaring her shoulders. "Nothing. I don't know. It's, I, Dr. Parish I should get dressed and go home. Thank you for letting me crash here last night." She moved to pull the covers back and Lanie stood up, the worried expression on her face growing deeper.

"Alexis."

"Are my clothes in the bathroom, or...?" She asked, scanning the small apartment for her jeans and sweater.

Lanie sighed, then crossed her arms resignedly. "Yes, they're in the bathroom, honey. Take your time, I've left you a towel and washcloth if you want to shower. I'll drop you off at school on my way into work, okay?"

Alexis nodded and made her way to the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind her. She leaned against it and covered her face in her hands.

And she wept.

* * *

"Lanie's gonna take Alexis back to school on her way into the morgue," Kate announced to Castle as she tucked her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans, eyeing him through the bathroom mirror. He was brushing his teeth, a towel wrapped around his waist, his body warm and pink from the shower. Kate was already dressed, her hair and makeup done.

"Okay. I think I'm gonna go see her."

Kate nodded. "What will you say?"

Castle spit toothpaste into the sink then rinsed off his toothbrush before setting it beside hers in the toothbrush holder. He turned around, leaning back against the sink. "I don't know." He shook his head. "I honestly don't know."

Kate placed her palms on his bare chest, caressing his skin as she slid her hands up and around his neck, she curled her fingers through his damp hair, tugging him to her. They kissed, sweetly, gently, then parted, Kate lovingly searched his baby-blue's. "Maybe it's time to just listen?"

* * *

Lanie pulled up in front of Alexis' dorm, put the car in park, and turned towards the girl. "Alexis, honey, you know that Kate told your dad about last night, don't you?"

Alexis sighed, looking out the window, "I figured she would."

"And, do you remember that she arrested Peter?"

Alexis whipped her head around, horrified. "What?"

Lanie held up a staying palm, "He had a bench warrant for some outstanding parking tickets." Lanie took a deep breath. "But, she _did_ use the opportunity to," she searched for the right word, "...educate him on what would happen if he hurt you, or took advantage of you, ever again."

"Oh, God." Alexis groaned. "He's going to hate me!"

Lanie frowned, "Alexis, it should be _you_ who hates _him_! He took advantage of you. He didn't respect you, honey. He doesn't get to treat you that way, you know that, right?"

"No. Yes, of course I know that. I have no interest in him. It's just, he's kind of the leader of the group I hang out with."

"Then I think you need a new group," Lanie blurted, then quickly added. "I know how hard it is the first year at college. But, Alexis, there are a lot of kids here who will like you and be your friend, without needing to get you drunk!"

Alexis went back to staring out the window, and when she reached for the handle to open the door, Lanie leaned over and grabbed her hand.

"There's one more thing you should know." Lanie offered.

Alexis closed her eyes, bracing herself. "What?"

"Your dad was at the Precinct when Kate was interrog-, er, talking to Peter." Lanie paused, "He kind of went a little postal, and..."

"And what?" Alexis asked, alarmed.

"Well, he attacked Peter."

"No."

"Yes, but he didn't hurt him, he just shoved him against a wall, I guess, and warned him to stay away from you."

Alexis stared blankly at Lanie, not believing what she was hearing. Then she raised one hand and let it fall in her lap, slapping her thigh. "Well, that's just great. Perfect." She shook her head, her lips pursed in anger.

The line between Lanie's eyes returned. "Honey, he was looking _out_ for you. He was being your _dad_! What did you expect?"

Alexis groaned, "I expect him to let me take care of myself."

Lanie sighed. "And, do you think you're giving him reason to believe that you can do that?"

Alexis looked at her mentor sharply, but refrained from saying anything. After all, Dr. Parish wasn't wrong. She hadn't exactly been doing a very good job in that department. "I should go," she finally muttered. "Thank you for the ride, and, for last night." She grabbed her purse from the floor, and opened the car door, "Bye, Dr. Parish."

"Goodbye, Alexis, I'll see you next week."

"Right," Alexis replied, slamming the door closed before walking up the sidewalk to her dorm.

Lanie watched her go, put the car in drive, and thanked Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that she wasn't Alexis' age anymore.

Adolescence sucked!

* * *

When Alexis entered her dorm room, she was shocked to find her father sitting on her bed, staring out the window.

"Dad!" She stopped in her tracks, the door still open, her hand on the knob. "What are you doing here?"

Castle stood up, squared himself to her, a look of sadness marring his normally jovial features. "I think you know, honey. Don't you?"

Alexis' whole posture changed, her shoulders slumped, her eyes cast down. She stepped into the room and shut the door behind her, dropping her purse in the corner. She walked over to her mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Then turned to face her father. "Yes. So, are you going to lecture me? Take away my allowance?"

"No," he replied, calmly.

She eyed him suspiciously. She'd expected him to be yelling, he was way to measured. "Then what?"

"I'm going to listen."

"Listen?"

"Yes, listen. Kate suggested instead of talking to you, I listen to you, so." He sat back down on the bed and patted the mattress beside him. "I'm going to just listen. Whatever you want to tell me. Whatever you want to say."

Alexis stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "Kate? She told you to listen to me? She didn't tell you to throw the book at me? Lock me up? Go all tough love?"

"Why would she?"

"She's a _cop_, Dad."

"She's also your friend, and my..."

"I _know_!" Alexis blurted, instantly regretting it.

Castle frowned, staring at his daughter who was still standing across from him, her arms folded protectively in front of her. "Honey, you said you liked Kate. That you were okay with us being together."

"I do, I am." She finally took a seat on the bed next to him. "It's nothing. I like Kate, Dad, really. I'm glad you two are happy."

"Are you sure? Because, honey, if you have any problems with it we can talk..."

"I'm sure," she cut him off. "Dad, I'm sure."

Except, she wasn't sure. But, she didn't know what the problem was, so there was no point in talking about it.

"I know you want me to talk about all of this with you, and I'm really sorry for worrying you. But, I don't think I have anything to say, Dad." She turned to look at him, taking his hand. "Look, I'm going to be careful, okay? I'm going to buckle down, I'm going to stop going to parties, or out," She hesitated, she was admitting to her dad that she'd been spending a lot of time partying. Which made her nervous. "...to bars. Okay? And, I'll stay away from Peter."

Castle bristled.

"I know what you did. I'm not happy with you, Dad. But," she chokes back a sob as she remembers how much he loves her. "...it was sweet. What you did, why you did it. It was sweet. I just wish you would let me solve my own problems."

Castle bit his tongue. He wanted to shake her, hold her, take her home and lock her in her old room just to keep her safe. But he couldn't.

Because, he also wanted her to live her life.

So, he just sat there, his hands dangling limply in his lap, and nodded.

And, then they sat, for about twenty minutes, they just sat. Not saying anything, not needing to. Father and daughter. Each recognizing the shift that was happening in their relationship, each wondering what was going to happen next.

Each scared out of their respective minds.

* * *

When he'd left, Alexis had decided to skip her one class for the day and take a long nap. She was still feeling ill from the previous night's adventures. So, when a couple of girls who lived down the hall showed up with a six-pack, she'd begged off.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'Hair of the Dog,' Alexis?" one of them asked.

She shook her head.

"Trust me, the first sip is gross, but after that? Your hangover will be gone."

Alexis stared at them. She'd promised herself. Promised her dad. So, why was she biting her bottom lip and eying the beer that was being held out to her?

"Okay, just one." She accepted the open bottle and took a swig, "...but no more. I need to study tonight."

* * *

Peter stood outside of the dorm room door, listening. He'd sent Sheila and Meryl in there with the laced beer, hoping Alexis would bite, _knowing_ she'd bite. And she _had_. His plan was now in full swing! As he walked away from the red-headed troublemakers door, an evil grin creeped along his face.

He was about to get his sweet revenge!


	7. Chapter 7

**Laser Tagged**

**By Dana Keylits**

**Chapter Seven**

**A/N: This chapter is a bit darker than the others and includes sobering discussions related to drug abuse and sexual assault. I believe I have handled it in a way that maintains the K+ rating, but have decided to change the rating to T, just to be safe.**

Kate and Martha had retired to the living room with hot mugs of tea and a plate of Castle's homemade cookies. Kate was curled up on one end of the sofa with a warm throw and a copy of the New Yorker, while Martha sat at the other end, her feet tucked beneath her as she studied lines from the new Off-Broadway play in which she'd just been cast.

Although they'd all enjoyed their evening together, including the italian dinner Kate and Martha had teamed up to prepare, they were each distracted by thoughts of Alexis.

It had been difficult for Castle to leave her alone this morning, he'd gone to see her hoping to get answers, to understand what was going on with her, but instead, he only had more questions. By the time he'd left her, it was clear their issues weren't going to be resolved, and certainly not while she was hungover and miserable. He'd asked her to come over tonight, join them for dinner, but she'd begged off, saying she needed to study.

He hadn't wanted to push, afraid he'd push her _away_ if he did, so after they'd sat for awhile, he'd kissed her on top of her ginger-haired head, told her he loved her, and then silently walked away.

It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

Finished with the dishes, he joined the women in the living room, plopping onto the couch between them with a long sigh. They each reached out and patted him, Kate on the thigh, Martha on the shoulder.

It made him laugh. "We're a sorry lot, aren't we?"

Martha slapped her script down and unfolded herself, standing up. "C'mon. Let's have an old fashioned family fun night game of Monopoly. Take our minds off things!"

Castle chuckled, "I don't know, Mother, after last time, you vowed you'd never play again."

She waived her hand, "Oh, pooh, that was a long time ago, and don't forget I had good reason for being upset. I'd caught you cheating!"

"Whaaat?" Castle cried, "I wasn't cheating."

"You were the banker, darling. You gave yourself more than a _few_ unauthorized loans."

"Fine." Castle replied, standing up and reaching for Kate, who slipped her hand into his, they walked to the dining room table hand-in-hand. "Kate can be the banker, that way when I win, you can't say it's because I _cheated_."

* * *

"**Y**our mother is quite the competitive player, Castle." Kate observed as she lay in his bed, wearing the short nightshirt she keeps at his place now. She watched him undress.

"Yes, well, she's never been a gracious loser." He replied, shrugging out of his jeans and reaching for his pajama bottoms.

"It's not like you make it easy on her!"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?

"You're a gloater."

"A gloater?"

"A gloater. You gloat."

Castle chuckled, clicking off the light and climbing into the bed beside her. "Well, when you're the _best_ at something, no reason to be shy about it."

She slid into his arms, her bare legs tangling with his, her arms wrapped tightly around him. "_Shy_ is hardly a word that could ever be used to describe you."

He laughed, then pressed his lips against hers in a soft, slow, sensual kiss, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips before dipping into her mouth, curling with her tongue in a languid, sultry waltz. When they parted, he moaned, already missing the feel of her lips against his.

They smiled at each other, relishing the contact, both taking note that the atmosphere between them was shifting. Castle used one finger to gently move a lock of hair from Kate's eyes. "Thank you for being here tonight, Kate. I know my focus has been on Alexis lately, and." He paused, his heart swelling, "...I know we haven't had a lot of _quality_ time together."

"She smiled, placing her forefinger over his lips to quiet him. "You don't need to thank me, Castle. I care about Alexis. And, I want to be here. Even when it's hard, even when things aren't perfect. We're _partners_." She reminded him.

He caressed her cheek, then leaned in to kiss her again. Only this time with more urgency, more passion, and as she wiggled against him, pulling him on top of her, his heart filled with love and affection, passion, desire, gratitude, _want_. He couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now, _with_ anyone else, _doing_ anything else.

* * *

**K**ate woke up just before dawn and slipped out of bed, leaving Castle to sleep in. She padded to the kitchen, wearing Castle's fluffy robe, and started a pot of coffee. She was just reaching for a mug out of the cupboard when the phone on the counter started to ring, startling her.

She grabbed the receiver, hoping it hadn't woken up Castle or Martha, and answered it. As soon as the person on the other line said they were from Columbia, Kate hurried into the bedroom and shook Castle awake.

"It's someone from Alexis' school." She said, concerned.

Castle sat up, rubbing the gravel from his eyes, and placed the receiver to his ear.

"Castle."

Kate watched as the color drained from his face and he stared at her wide-eyed. He mumbled something into the phone before shutting it off. He threw back the covers and swung his legs out of bed.

"It's Alexis," he started to explain, raking his fingers through his hair, he threw open a bureau drawer, grabbing a pair of boxers and slipping them on. "She's been taken to the hospital."

Kate walked over to him. "What? Castle, what happened?"

He didn't stop, he threw open more drawers, looking for a t-shirt, grabbing the first one he could find and shoving his arms into it, then he took three long steps to the closet where he grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on. "They found her unconscious this morning, they said something about an overdose."

"Oh, God." Kate exclaimed, grabbing her own clothes to put on. She slipped out of her bathrobe and was dressed in under thirty seconds. "Want me to wake Martha?"

Castle stopped, scrubbing his face, thinking. "Yes, no, I don't know, Kate. I just need to get there, now. I can't wait."

"Okay, you go. I'll wake Martha and we'll be right behind you, okay? Which hospital?"

"New York Prez," he answered, grabbing his wallet, phone, and keys and rushing out of the bedroom, Kate on his heels.

She followed him to the front foyer, "We'll be right behind you, Castle!"

He nodded and disappeared through the front door, slamming it shut behind him.

* * *

**H**e was listening, he was hearing, but he wasn't comprehending. The emergency room doctor, who looked all of about twelve and bore an uncanny resemblance to Opie from the Andy Griffith show, was prattling on about charcoal and stomach pumping, possible coma, brian injury, _wait brain injury?_ But he wasn't hearing any of it. His daughter was laying unconscious on the hospital bed, a tube up her nose, her clothes cut away, a sheet draped over her body, and she wasn't _moving_.

Castle had both hands at the back of his head as he paced back and forth in front of the doctor. It was all he could do. And he felt like a helpless jackass. "Look, I don't understand. I don't understand what you're telling me!"

"Mr. Castle. As I explained, your daughter experienced a drug overdose. We are attempting gastric lavage, we may introduce activated charcoal to absorb the remaining toxins and medication to stimulate urination. We will give her an IV, and if we need to, we'll conduct hemodialysis, though it shouldn't come to that."

"What? What the hell are you talking about? Use English, will you? Is there someone around here who can actually explain to me what is happening?"

"I can," Lanie turned the corner, she'd been running, and approached the pair as they stood outside the glass that separated them from Alexis. "Doctor, please fill me in," She showed her I.D. to him, "I"m a friend of the family. I'll explain it to them."

The doctor looked at Castle, "Do I have your permission to speak...?"

"Yes, yes, please, tell her." Castle waived at him, before spotting Kate and Martha hurrying towards them. He met them halfway down the hall, the panic on his mothers face mirroring the panic that was rising up in his own throat.

"Oh, Richard, oh, darling. What's happened?" Martha asked, falling into his embrace.

"I don't know yet." He half turned to look at Lanie and the doctor. "He's telling Lanie now. Says something about an overdose, they're treating her. I don't understand it all. I can't..." His forehead wrinkled, "How did Lanie...?"

"I called her," Kate answered.

Castle nodded, "Thanks."

A nurse approached them, "Mr. Castle, we have a family room just over here, I think you will all be more comfortable there while we treat your daughter."

"No, I'm not going anywhere," Castle protested.

"I understand you're scared, Mr. Castle. But, we need to treat Alexis and in order for us to do that, we really need you to wait in that room, you'll still be able to see through the glass. We also need to have you fill out some paperwork, we need some information about Alexis' medical history and anything you can tell us about what might have happened."

"I don't _know_ what happened, aren't you supposed to tell _me_ that?"

"I mean, _why_ your daughter overdosed."

Castle's shoulders slumped and Kate reached out to steady him. "C'mon Castle." She led him to the small glass-enclosed room and into a chair, sitting down beside him. Lanie came in right behind them, and sat kitty corner from Castle and Kate, Martha sat next to her.

"Okay, here's what I know right now. Alexis was found in her room early this morning by a girl who was wanting to borrow her hair straightener. She knew something was wrong because Alexis was still dressed and there were empty beer bottles on the floor." Lanie paused, looking at Kate, "...they also found cocaine."

Castle's head snapped up, "What!?"

"It was beside the bed on the nightstand. When Alexis wouldn't wake up, the girl called Campus Police who called the ambulance. They're pumping her stomach now. Then they'll give her charcoal and some medication to make her urinate. Eliminate as much of the drugs from her system as possible. You follow me so far?" Lanie asked, her eyes narrowing as Castle started to sway back and forth.

Without knowing it he'd reached for Kate's hand and was squeezing it painfully. "Yes, I understand."

Lanie nodded, "Good. Now, it's hard to tell at this point how this will affect Alexis. We won't know until she wakes up, but, her vitals are improving. She's young, and strong, and healthy, so those are all things in her favor. okay?"

Castle nodded. Martha sobbed beside her and Lanie patted her knee reassuringly.

"Now, this is the hard part." She frowned, "They found traces of alcohol and cocaine in her system, as well as..." Lanie paused again, taking a deep breath. "...Flunitrazepam."

Kate and Castle gasped. "Oh, god." Kate whispered.

"What is that?" Martha asked.

But, both Castle and Kate already knew, and they stared at each other in horror. Castle lost all of his life's breath in one tortured sigh, and the room started spinning.

"What? What is it? Please tell me, you're scaring me!"

"It's Rohypnol, Mother." Castle whispered, tears rimming his eyes. "Otherwise known as the date rape drug."

Martha's hand flew up to cover her mouth and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stem her budding tears.

Lanie reached over and palmed Castle's knee. "Castle, there is no physical indication that Alexis was the victim of rape. But, it's possible..."

"Something else could have happened to her..." Castle finished her sentence for her.

Lanie nodded.

Castle sat back, scrubbing his beard with both hands as Kate moved her hand to his thigh. "Castle, you should call Meredith."

He nodded, "God, right. I forgot about her. Um, she's on a trip somewhere. Australia, I think." He fished out his phone and stood up. "I'll have to go outside. Can't use this in here," he pointed to the 'No Cell Phone Use' sign.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Kate asked, standing up.

"No, no. Please stay here with Mother." Castle replied, glancing at his mother who was slumped against her seat, her head on Lanie's shoulder.

Martha stared blankly at the wall, her voice horse. "There's a phone right there." She pointed.

Kate followed her stare. "What?"

"There's a phone right there." Martha said again. "He could have just used that one."

"I think the call he was making was long distance, Martha." Kate replied, frowning. "Can I get you anything? Coffee?" She glanced around the room, eyeing the coffee maker in the corner, a fresh full pot sitting on its heated burner.

"That would be lovely, dear, thank you." Martha replied.

Kate stood up and poured the coffee as Lanie continued to pat the back of Martha's hand. She felt impotent, she wanted to do something, take care of this for them, but she didn't know what to do.

Except she did. She could get Ryan and Esposito to talk to the Campus Police. Get more information, see if they could trace Alexis' steps.

And, more importantly, see if that shit weasel Peter was behind all of this. Because, Kate _strongly_ suspected that he was. And if she could _prove_ it, that kid was going to regret it for the rest of his life.

Kate would make sure of it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Laser Tagged**

**By Dana Keylits**

**Chapter Eight**

It had been several hours, with no change in her condition, they'd finished pumping her stomach, were giving her IV fluids, treating her with medication, but she still hadn't regained consciousness.

And so they all stayed where they were, waiting. All of them, Kate, Castle, Lanie and Martha, in that tiny glass-enclosed room, waiting, waiting for answers. Every half hour Lanie would get up and consult with the doctors and nurses who were treating Alexis, then come back with the same sobering news. Her vitals were stable, she was out of immediate danger, but there was no telling what damage the drugs had done until she woke up.

There was also no telling what had _happened_ to her until she woke up, either, but Kate had her suspicions. She'd called Ryan and had asked him to coordinate with Campus Police, find out everything he could about what was in Alexis' room, see if they'd checked the empty beer bottles for evidence of dosing, check it for fingerprints, and see if there was any way to trace this all back to Peter Marshall.

Castle shared her suspicions, but he was so focused on Alexis that he was going to leave the investigating to Kate and Ryan. Until his daughter opened her eyes, he wasn't going to do anything, go anywhere, talk to anyone, unless they were directly related to getting Alexis well.

Besides, he trusted Kate to his marrow and knew that if Peter was involved in what happened to Alexis, she would go through hell and high water to seek justice on their behalf.

A nurse approached and explained that Alexis was going to be moved to the ICU. There was another family room in that unit where they could all wait, and Castle would be allowed to sit at Alexis' bedside. Lanie used this opportunity to usher Martha to the cafeteria, see if they could get at least _some_ nutrition into her, and would bring back food for the rest of them.

As Kate and Castle waited for the elevator, a young man nervously approached them. "Mr. Castle?" He asked.

Castle turned to look at the boy wearily. "Yes?"

"My name is Max, I'm a friend of Alexis'?"

A faint memory tickled the back of his brain. Max, Max. This was the boy Alexis had told him about at Christmas. Castle hadn't heard anything about him recently, so assumed they'd broken up. "Yes, Max. Alexis mentioned you."

Max nodded, "How is she, sir?"

Kate squeezed Castle's hand, she could tell it was taking all of his strength to stand here and have this conversation.

"She's out of immediate danger, but we don't know much more than that," Castle replied.

"Max, how did you find out about Alexis?" Kate asked curiously.

"Um. Word gets around, you know? It's not every day an ambulance shows up at the dorms." He looked down at the iPhone in his hand, shuffled his feet, appearing extremely nervous.

Kate narrowed her eyes and studied him. He had something else to say, she could see it. "Max? What's going on?"

He looked at her, then at Castle. "I, ah. I don't know if I should show you this, now, given..."

"Show us what?" Castle asked sternly.

Max turned on his iPhone, swiping to unlock it, then pulled up his Facebook page. "This just showed up on my timeline this morning." He turned the phone so they could see it.

Castle stepped back, not believing what he was seeing, while Kate grabbed Max's wrist and pulled the phone out of his hand to look at it more closely.

"Who posted this?" She asked sharply, "...do you know?"

"It's a general account, Columbia Freshman, I don't know who runs it." Max replied.

Kate stared at the photograph of Alexis, her stomach turning. She could feel Castle swaying beside her and she reached over, grabbing him by the bicep. "Castle,"

"I can't deal with this, Kate. I need to get upstairs. I need to be..." He stopped, a sob choking his throat.

Kate palmed his cheek, "I'll take care of this, okay? I will find out who did this, I will get this removed, I will take care of it."

He gazed into her hazel eyes, knowing that she would, knowing that she wouldn't fail him, or Alexis, that she would get to the bottom of this, and that he could be with Alexis, secure in the knowledge that Kate was taking care of everything else. He closed his eyes and whispered, "thank you."

The elevator door dinged open and Kate gently pushed him towards it. "I'll be up in a bit, I'm going to chat with Max some more, okay?"

He nodded, and the elevator doors closed between them, his distraught face the last thing she saw before they slammed shut.

She spun around to face Max. "Tell me everything you know about this webpage, and about who might be behind _this_." She pointed at the picture for emphasis.

* * *

**K**ate intercepted Martha and Lanie in the cafeteria and sent Martha up, with a sandwich and some fruit, to Castle in the ICU, while she motioned for Lanie to stay with her.

"You need to eat, too, Kate." Lanie insisted when Kate brushed aside her offer of food.

"Fine," she grabbed a banana and carton of orange juice, paid for it, then moved to a table near the corner of the large cafeteria.

She held out her phone, having bookmarked the Facebook page, and showed Lanie the picture of Alexis. "Look what that little shit did."

Lanie gasped, then looked closer at the picture. Alexis was clearly in a bed, under the covers, her bare arms wrapped around what appeared to be a naked man, or at least a shirtless man, as he lay on top of her. Her eyes were closed, her face expressionless.

"What the _hell_?" Lanie exclaimed.

"Yeah," Kate replied, putting the phone back in her pocket. "Lanie, you said there were no indications that she was raped...but, are you sure? Could this mean...?"

Lanie shook her head, "No, no, even if she hadn't resisted, we'd know. There were _no_ signs, Kate."

Kate breathed a sigh of relief, at least there was _that_ to console her. She bit her bottom lip, leaning back in the chair, "But he did _something_ to her," She held the phone up, "We know he did _something_."

Lanie nodded.

Kate's phone chimed, alerting her to an incoming text. Ryan and Esposito were at the hospital, and they had answers. Kate returned the text to let them know where she was, then peeled the banana and took a bite. "That little turd is going to pay for this, Lanie. I'm going to see to it."

"I know," Lanie replied, relieved that Kate was finally eating.

* * *

**C**astle and Martha were perched by her bed, one on each side. Castle ran his fingers over her limp, pale hand, tears running unabashedly down his cheeks. Martha prayed, something she didn't often do, but the times called for it.

Meredith was on her way to New York, but it would take her an entire day to get there. In the meantime she had been peppering him with texts asking for updates. It killed him that he couldn't give her better news.

He wished Kate were beside him, with him as he held his daughters hand, but he knew that she was doing what she could to help. She was going to get to the bottom of this, figure out what Peter had done, and then make him pay. He knew this like he knew the back of his own hand, and it oddly comforted him. He was grateful to her for this, for her ability to take command, to comfort him, to give him what he needed. It had, for so long, been the other way around, that he wasn't sure he even knew how to accept it.

Except that he _had_ accepted it, and it felt good. It felt good to be loved by someone who was in the truest sense of the word, your _partner_.

Castle was abruptly torn from his thoughts by the slightest movement of Alexis' hand. He looked down and before his mind could register what was happening, her hand had slipped into his palm, her fingers lacing with his. His heart raced.

"Mother!"

She looked up, startled, "What?"

He glanced at his hand, entwined with Alexis' "Look!"

* * *

**R**yan and Esposito grabbed some coffee, buying some for Kate and Lanie, too, before joining the women at the table.

Kate saluted Ryan with the cup before taking a sip. "So? What did you find out?"

"Campus police have huge chips on their shoulders," Esposito answered.

Ryan side-glanced at his partner, shushing him. "After we convinced them we weren't interested in a jurisdictional war, and just wanted to know as professional courtesy, they were more willing to talk with us."

Kate nodded, "And? What did they say?"

"Well, it's like you said on the phone. One of the girls who lives on her floor, a..." Ryan consults his notes, "Sheila Forstrom, found Alexis on her bed, fully dressed and unresponsive."

"What time was that?" Kate asked.

"Five-thirty."

"Doesn't that seem odd?"

"You're jumping ahead, Beckett, I'm getting to that." Ryan replied, glancing down at his notes again. "She called Campus Police, who called the ambulance. Then they brought in a CSU team."

"Campus Police has CSU?" Lanie interjected.

Kate nodded, "Yes, Campus Police are real cops, with a real police department, investigative unit, the whole nine-yards," Kate explained.

Lanie nodded.

"CSU took the beer bottles, the cocaine, and some other items, cups, a pill bottle, and some clothing. A Detective," Ryan looked at his notes again, "...Murphy is assigned to the case. She's in the middle of interviewing some of Alexis' classmates."

"But we had the chance to speak with Sheila, the girl who found Alexis, and I get the strong feeling that she knows a lot more than she's saying." Esposito chimed in.

"Really?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah. First of all, what college freshman is up at 5:30 in the morning?"

"She could have had an early class," Lanie supposed.

"Except that she didn't." Esposito explained. "In fact, after she called Campus Police, she went back to bed!"

"Well, that _is_ weird." Lanie admitted.

"You think she was in on it?"

Ryan nodded. "Yes. And, I think she realized that it went too far and so she went to check on Alexis because she was worried."

Kate bit her lip. "I want to talk to her," She glanced at her watch. "But, I'm not leaving here until Alexis wakes up." She pulled out her phone and brought up the Facebook page with the image of Alexis on it. She noticed with disgust that there were 200 likes and over 100 comments attached to the photograph. She didn't want to read any of them, knowing she'd just be enraged if she did. "Can you find out who posted this? And, show it to that detective. I'm pretty sure Peter Marshall is behind all of this."

"Oh, Jeez!" Ryan exclaimed while Esposito gasped at the image, shaking his head.

Ryan noted the website address, and called it up on his own phone.

Esposito glanced over his shoulder. "Dude. You're on Facebook?"

Ryan pulled his phone towards his chest, "Jenny wanted me to, so we could stay in touch with her family."

Esposito rolled his eyes

They were interrupted by the chiming of Kate's phone. She swiped the screen to unlock it and retrieved a text from Castle. _Come up here, now_!

She stood up, spilling her coffee. "We have to go upstairs," She exclaimed, not waiting for anyone to follow her, even though they all did.

A nurse was standing at the entrance to ICU, holding up a palm. "Which one of you is Kate?"

Kate stepped forward.

"You can go in, but I'm sorry, the rest of you will need to wait in the family room."

Kate rushed ahead, rounding the corner to Alexis' bed, then stopping in her tracks at the sight before her.

"Kate," Alexis whispered, a small smile gracing her lips. "...hi."


	9. Chapter 9

**Laser Tagged**  
**Chapter Nine**

**By Dana Keylits**

Kate couldn't help but return the smile. "Alexis, you're awake!" She rounded the bed to stand beside Castle's chair, resting one hand on his shoulder while reaching out with the other to pat Alexis' hand.

"Yeah," the girl answered meekly, smiling up at Kate, though her eyes were troubled, and after a beat she sighed, then asked, "Kate, what happened?"

Kate glanced at Castle, puzzled. He shook his head, mouthing _no_. She turned back to Alexis. "You don't remember?"

She could hear Castle sighing behind her.

Alexis scrunched up her face as though trying to coax a distant memory that stubbornly wouldn't surface. "I remember," she paused, "I remember..." Her eyes darted towards her father and she began to cry. "I remember drinking some beer," She squeezed her eyes shut as sobs wracked her body and Castle instinctively leaned closer while Kate took a step back, giving him room. He cradled her chin in the palm of his hand. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I promised you I wouldn't drink anymore, but..."

"Shhhh, honey. We don't have to talk about this right now," He thumbed away her tears.

"Castle," Kate interjected, "It's important that we find out what happened."

He glanced behind him to glare at Kate, annoyed, snapping, "I don't want her to be interrogated right now, she just woke up!"

Kate was shocked by his anger, by his anger towards _her_, but she let it slide, knowing the stress he'd been under. "Castle, I don't want to interrogate..."

"It's fine, Dad," Alexis interrupted. "I need to remember." She looked at Kate with pleading eyes, "I want to talk about it."

Castle slumped in his seat, rubbing his eyes. "I just don't want you to get upset, honey."

"Dad! I almost died and I don't know why! It's safe to say that I'm already upset."

Kate grabbed the folding chair that was hanging on a hook on the wall, and unfolded it next to the seat Castle was occupying. She pulled out her notebook. "Alexis. Tell me everything you do remember, okay? And, if you like, if you're ready, I'll tell you what I know."

Castle flinched, bolting out of his chair. "No. Kate. Can I speak with you in the hallway, please?"

She nodded, standing up. He was upset, upset with her. This wasn't going to be fun.

Castle patted Alexis' hand. "I'll be right back, sweetheart."

They walked down the hallway, out of Alexis' earshot. Castle raked his fingers through his hair and sighed, a tortured expression on his face. "Kate. I appreciate that you want to figure out what happened to Alexis," He scrubbed his five-o'clock shadow. "...and that you want to take down that little fucker. But, I don't want Alexis to know what happened to her."

Kate took a step back, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "Castle. You can't keep that from her. She has a right to know, and you really think she's not going to find out?"

"I can protect her. No way she's going back to the dorms, and Ryan can disappear that picture from Facebook, can't he? He's done it before for me."

Kate placed both hands on her hips, "Castle. You know better than anyone that nothing ever disappears online. You might be able to get rid of the picture for now, but you know it's only a matter of time before it turns up somewhere. And that's assuming no one has posted it on Alexis' Facebook page, or emailed it to her!"

"I've already deactivated her Facebook account and searched her email. There's nothing there. She won't see it."

"Castle!" Kate was in disbelief. "You can't just deactivate her Facebook page! She's going to hate you for that!"

"I don't care. I'm protecting her, she'll see that. Besides, she needed my permission to get that account in the first place."

"Yes, when she was fourteen. But she's an adult now, and..."

"Kate!" he yelled, attracting the scorn of a nurse working nearby. He didn't care. "We're done talking about this! She doesn't remember anything, and I want to leave it that way!" His eyes were blazing, his hands balled up into tight angry fists.

Kate paused, not wanting to push, but knowing that Castle was out of his mind if he thought he was going to be able to keep this from his daughter. As though keeping it from her was a good idea! She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking, then simply stepped towards him, placing both hands on his shoulders, her eyes searching his, she pulled him towards her in a warm embrace, surprising them both.

He responded stiffly at first, his defenses keeping him from her, but then he slowly melted against her, burying his face in her neck, wrapping his hands around her middle. And, before he even knew what was happening, his body was wracked with relieved, painful, pent-up sobs.

She held onto him tightly, her own eyes misty with his pain, with her _own_ pain, it had been a hell of a day. She whispered into his ear, "It's okay Castle, it's okay, let it out."

When she could sense that he had his emotions under control, she pulled away, cradling his face with her hands, holding his gaze. "Castle, you have always told Alexis the truth. Her entire life, you've never lied to her," she scanned his eyes, hoping that she was getting through to him, "You _cannot_ start now, not about _this_. It's too important."

He blinked and a single tear spilled from his blood-shot eyes, tracing a jagged path down his cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her thumb, then leaned in and kissed him.

Running her hands down his chest, she whispered, "Castle, we will help her through this, we will help her accept what happened, whatever it is, but we cannot lie to her." When he looked down she ducked her head, trying to keep his attention. "We can't lie to her, Castle. We can't be _those_ people. She'll hate us."

Barely a whisper, he choked, "I just want to protect her."

Kate squeezed his hand, "I know. I know you do. But lying to her isn't going to achieve that." She glanced at their joined hands, rubbing her thumb over the back of his wrist. "Helping her remember, helping her cope with whatever she's going to need to deal with," She looked back up at him, "and putting Peter Marshall behind bars, _will_."

He shuffled his feet, wiped his nose with the back of one hand, then met her eyes and nodded.

* * *

**B**ack at her bed, Alexis was being fed ice chips by a nurses aid, Castle reached for the cup. "Thank you," he nodded at the aid, "I'll take over, now."

Kate crossed the room and sat back down in the folding chair. "You okay, sweetie? Do you want to talk? Or, do you need to sleep?"

Alexis nodded, "I'm good. I can talk."

Her pen poised over the leather bound notebook, Kate asked, "Okay, so, why don't we start with the beer. Did someone give it to you?"

Alexis glanced remorsefully at her father. He squeezed her hand and nodded. "It's okay, honey. Just tell us what happened."

She launched into the story of how Meryl and Sheila had brought a six pack to her room and gave her the already opened beer bottle. She remembered drinking about half of it, suddenly feeling funny, and then everything after that was a blank.

"Did I drink too much again? I mean, is that why I blacked out?"

Castle winced at the word _again_ but didn't say anything, not wanting to turn this into a lecture. At least not today.

"No, Alexis," Kate flipped back through her notepad, "You only had the one beer, according to your blood alcohol level."

Alexis rubbed her forehead. "Then why can't I remember anything? What happened to me?"

"Honey," Castle interjected. "How well do you know those girls?"

"Sheila and Meryl?"

"Yes."

"I don't know, I mean, we live on the same floor. We hang around with some of the same people."

Kate leaned forward. "Is _Peter_ one of those people?"

"Peter? Yeah, he's um, he's kind of the leader of the group I hang with."

Kate and Castle exchange knowing looks.

Alexis frantically looked from one to the other. "What? What is it? Tell me!"

Castle edged onto the bed and took her hand in his, he gently wiped a lock of errant hair from her face, trying to school his features so as not to worry her. "Honey, they found cocaine in your system..."

Her eyes grew wide. "Cocaine! Dad, I didn't use cocaine!"

He held up a staying palm, "I believe you," Inside, he said a prayer of thanks, because, given everything that had been happening with her, he hadn't been sure. "They also found," he paused, looked at Kate, who encouraged him, then continued. "...Rohypnol."

"Is that...?" Alexis frowned.

"Yes," Kate answered. "It's known as the date rape drug."

"Oh, God, was I...?" Alexis looked at her father in horror.

"No. Honey, there wasn't any..." He couldn't say it, couldn't even think it, and his head dropped.

Kate leaned forward. "Alexis, there wasn't any evidence that you were raped," Kate started to explain, noting Alexis' relieved expression. "...but,"

"But?"

"Someone posted a picture of you on Facebook," Kate explained.

"What? A picture of me doing what?"

'You were in bed with," Kate glanced at Castle and his pained expression tore through her heart. "...some man. We can't see his face."

It didn't seem possible, but her complexion grew even paler, "Oh God, Oh, no. No..." Alexis cried, hiding her face in her hands.

Castle gathered her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "Shhh, honey. It's going to be okay. Kate is going to get to the bottom of this, and it's going to be okay."

"I wish I could just remember!" Alexis sobbed.

Kate closed her notepad and stood up. She patted Alexis' knee. "Alexis, I'm going to piece this all together, we're going to figure out what happened, and _I_ will be your memory, okay?"

Alexis looked up from over Castle's shoulder, her eyes rimmed with shiny tears, and nodded, whispering meekly, "Thank you."

Kate smiled, then reached over to caress Castle's arm. "I'm going to go interview those two girls, Castle. Walk me out?"

He nodded, then kissed Alexis on the cheek. "I'll be right back, honey."

In the ICU lounge, Ryan, Esposito, Martha and Lanie stood up as soon as Kate and Castle rounded the corner. Castle kissed Martha on the cheek. "Mother, why don't you go back in there, Alexis..." He winced, "..._knows_."

"Oh, dear. Okay, darling." Martha turned to the others, "Thank you so much, for," She held her hands together as if in prayer, "...well, you know. Thank you."

They nodded at the older woman, then turned to face Castle and Kate, awaiting Kate's instructions, as Martha hurried down the hall towards Alexis' bed.

Kate stepped easily back into her role, taking charge. "Ryan, I want you to take care of tracing that photograph, find out who took it, who posted it, who's seen it, and then wipe it from every corner of the internet. Think you can do that?"

Ryan nodded. "Already working on it."

"Good. Espo? You're with me. We've got a couple of co-eds we need to see," She held up a staying palm when he opened his mouth to speak, "Don't, Javi. No jokes, please."

Javier frowned, "I was just going to say would you like me to drive?"

Kate exhaled, "Oh. Sorry. Um, yes, okay. You drive. I'll leave my cruiser here."

"I'd better get to the morgue," Lanie explained. She hugged Castle, then Kate. "I'll check in with you both later."

"Thanks, Lanie." Kate replied before the M.E. gathered her things and left.

She turned to Castle. "Call me, okay? If anything changes? If she remembers anything? Or, if, um, if you just need me?" She gazed up into his baby blue's.

He nodded, taking her hands in his. "Thank you, Kate. I couldn't have...I wouldn't have survived this if it weren't for you."

"Always," she replied, then kissed him gently on the lips before leaving with Javier.

* * *

**T**he girls weren't talking, and Ryan was making little headway with the picture. He'd traced it to an IP address, but unfortunately, it was linked to an on-campus computer located in the main library, with little to no way of knowing who'd been logged in at the time. Since they didn't have jurisdiction over the case, they couldn't get a warrant to find out who'd even used the library that day.

Kate, frustrated with their lack of progress, asked Ryan to turn over what he knew to Campus Police and hoped they would follow through on the information. She would call the lead detective in the morning. Ryan had, at least, managed to hack into the account and delete the photograph, but not before printing out the over three-hundred comments that had been made. It was disconcerting how many of them were expressing glee at Alexis' expense. With less than one quarter of them denouncing it. Ryan hoped some of the names on the comments list would help lead them to the masterminds of this twisted prank.

She'd stopped at home, showered and changed, then went back to the hospital. She picked up some food in the cafeteria, including a piece of chocolate cake for Alexis, and upon landing on the ICU was happy to learn that Alexis had been moved to a private room on the tenth floor.

Waiting at the elevator, rocking back on her heels while cursing how slow it was, she jumped when she heard her name. Spinning around, she saw Max and, she noted with surprise, Sheila walking briskly towards her.

"Hello again, Detective," Max politely greeted. He pushed the girl roughly towards Kate. "Sheila here has something she'd like to tell you."

* * *

**A**n hour later she entered Alexis' hospital room. Castle was reclined in a chair in the corner, his feet propped up on the window ledge. He was sound asleep. Kate tiptoed into the room, setting the bag of food on the table by the door. Alexis was awake, staring blankly at the muted television.

She raised a hand, giving Kate a gentle wave and whispered, "Hi."

"Hi, Alexis," Kate replied, taking the seat on the opposite side of the bed where Castle was currently asleep and gently snoring. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Like I was run over by a freight train," Alexis answered, rubbing her forehead.

"I bet. You've been through a lot." Kate replied sympathetically.

Alexis picked at her thumbnail, glancing over at her dad. "He says he's going to stay here with me all night."

Kate nodded, "Sounds right. He's not likely to leave your side for awhile."

Alexis screwed up her face, fighting back tears. "I can't believe this is happening, Kate."

Kate didn't say anything, but she leaned closer, placing her hand sympathetically on Alexis' knee while the girl quietly cried.

"I feel so badly for putting him through this," Alexis whispered, "He's always been there for me, and I..."

"Alexis," Kate interrupted, "You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"I can't? No one made me drink that beer. No one made me hang out with Peter and those girls."

Kate scooted forward in her chair, reaching for Alexis' hand. "Yes, you made some mistakes, but, honey, no matter what choices you made, you don't deserve to have your drink spiked, or for someone to take advantage of you! You were the victim of a crime, Alexis."

"I feel so stupid."

"I know," Kate nodded, squeezing her hand, "I know you do. But you'll learn from this, you'll make better choices, and we will make the people who did this to you pay for their crimes."

Alexis nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Hey," Castle croaked, swinging his legs down from the window ledge, groaning. "Kate, hi."

"Hi," Kate replied, smiling at her partner. "I brought you some food. Where's Martha?"

"Thanks, I sent her home. She was getting tired and no sense both of us hanging out here."

"Ah," Kate nodded.

Castle rubbed both eyes with the heels of his hands, then stretched. "So, do you have any news for us?"

Kate smiled, looked from Castle to Alexis, then back to Castle.

"Yes, I do. And," Looking back at Alexis. "...I have someone waiting in the hallway who would like to speak with you, Alexis. If you're up to it."

"Who?" Alexis frowned.

"Me."

They all looked towards the door where Sheila was standing, nervously biting her fingernails, her eyes downcast, her feet shuffling beneath her.

"I need to tell you the truth, Alexis. The awful, horrible, shameful truth."


	10. Chapter 10

**Laser Tagged  
****By Dana Keylits**

**Chapter Ten**

**C**astle had to keep reminding himself that this was someone's child, someone's daughter. It was the only thing keeping him from supplying her with the verbal assault that she more than deserved. Well, that and Kate's nonverbal warning to stay quiet and listen.

Sheila stepped tentatively into the room, wringing her hands, looking nervously between Castle and Alexis. Kate stood up and moved to stand next to the girl. "Sheila has some information about what happened, Alexis, if you want to talk about it tonight. If not, we can do this in the morning."

Alexis rubbed her forehead with her IV free hand. "No, I'd like to hear what she has to say," she replied, frowning.

Kate gently laid her hand on Sheila's back. "Go ahead, Sheila. Tell them what you told me."

Sheila took a deep breath before taking off her jacket and folding it over one arm. She was beginning to perspire and a bright red blotch was creeping up her neck. She wiped her forehead.

"Alexis, I want you to know how sorry I am for what happened." She inhaled deeply. "I wasn't in on it from the beginning, but as soon as I realized what was happening I should have stopped it. I should have gotten help. I was just," she paused, nervously glancing at Castle then back at Alexis, "...I was scared."

Alexis gave her an unsympathetic nod.

Sheila steeled herself, and then forged ahead. "Peter gave Meryl and me a six pack of beer, told us to give you the open one. I didn't know he'd laced it with cocaine and roofies until after you'd passed out." She glanced at Castle, fearfully. "I swear."

Castle had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at her. Why the hell hadn't she called 911 when Alexis passed out? Instead, he blinked and simply said, "Go on."

"Well," Sheila resumed her story, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She scratched her neck nervously. "After you passed out, Meryl texted Peter and he came to your room. We, um, he made us put you in your bed."

Kate must have noticed Castle wrestling with his temper because she moved to stand on Sheila's other side, closer to him. She shot him a warning glance. He gave her a terse nod, letting her know he had it under control. _This is someone's child, this is someone's child, this is someone's child._ He thought to himself over and over.

"Meryl took your shirt off," she explained, fear skittering across her face as she glanced at Castle.

Alexis groaned, her hand inching up to cover her mouth. Castle wanted to fly across the room to gather her in his arms, but he held back, not wanting to embarrass her in front of Sheila.

"Then, um, Peter got into the bed with you."

Alexis held up one hand, her eyes squeezed shut. "Stop!'

Every head swiveled in her direction; Castle inched forward in his seat.

"Dad, can you please let Sheila and I talk in private?"

Castle flinched. _What?_ He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Stunned.

"Please, Dad? Can you and Beckett just wait in the hall? I'll yell if I need you." Her eyes were commanding, her posture controlled.

"I…honey, I…"

"C'mon, Castle," Kate said, hooking him by the arm.

His stormy blue eyes darted from Kate to Alexis, then to Sheila. He stood firm, a stubborn line forming between his eyes, even as Kate was pulling him.

"Let's go." she insisted, tugging harder.

He reluctantly allowed her to lead him out of the room. "We will be _right_ outside." He shot a warning look in Sheila's direction before letting the door close between them.

In the hallway, he paced back and forth as Kate leaned against the wall, her legs crossed at the ankle, her arms folded across her middle. "Castle, this is good. It's good for her to confront Sheila by herself. Besides. She didn't want you hearing that."

He stopped, glared at her, slack jawed. "Why? I'm her _father_."

"That's _exactly_ why! What happened to her is deeply personal, Castle, She probably wants to know about it before you do."

He resumed his pacing, roughly combing his fingers through his hair before scrubbing his five o'clock shadow. "You know," he declared. "Right? Kate? Sheila told you what they did?"

Kate nodded.

"Tell me."

"Castle. I'll tell you if you insist, but I think we should let Alexis do it. I think she wants to take charge of what happened to her, to not let it turn her into a victim." She drew a deep breath. "That means she should be able to control the story." Kate reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping his back and forth in front of her. "Including with you."

Her words weaved through him like barbed wire, but he knew she was right. Alexis was a grown woman now. She was entitled to her privacy, and in spite of the fact that he was her father - that he was paying for her education, she still had the right to control how this played out.

He stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, rubbing his temples. "You're right."

She stepped to him, her hands fingering the lapel of his shirt. "I know this is hard for you, Castle. I'm so sorry."

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him, savoring her warmth, her comforting presence. He sighed, his breath billowing her hair. "I just want to be able to protect her."

She touched his cheeks with her fingertips, pressing her lips lightly against his in a soft kiss. "I know you do." She kissed him again. "It's what makes you such a good dad."

He smiled, "And here I thought it was my top-of-the-line Laser Tag equipment."

She returned his smile, her eyes bright. "That too."

They fell into an easy silence. Kate gently slid her arms around his middle, resting her head against his chest. He settled his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes, the exhaustion of this day suddenly seizing his body. If it hadn't been for Kate holding him up, he'd have collapsed into a shattered heap on the floor.

After what felt like hours, but was in reality only minutes, Sheila came bursting from the room, a twirling dervish of tears and teenage pageantry. Kate chased her down the hallway while Castle went back into the room.

Alexis was sitting up in the bed, delicately blowing her nose into a soft tissue, her pale cheeks marred by the obvious evidence of freshly shed tears. Castle tentatively inched towards her, Kate's words still ringing in his ears. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, brimming with tears. "Fine," she murmured.

He stepped closer, resting his hip on the edge of her bed. "Why am I not convinced?"

She gave him a weary smile, her hands flopping into her lap. "It's fine, Dad. I just feel like such a fucking idiot."

"Whoa!" Castle had never heard Alexis say anything harsher than _bitch_ before.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. You're entitled. I'm just not used to hearing that from you."

She settled back against the pillows, rubbing her forehead. "Dad? I'm really tired. Can we talk in the morning? I just need to sleep."

He clearly hadn't managed a convincing job of hiding his wounded soul, because she quickly reached for his hand and added, "I promise, I'll tell you everything. I just don't think I can keep my eyes open anymore."

He leaned down, kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand. "Of course. Go to sleep. I'll be right here. We'll talk in the morning."

She nodded, pushed the "recline" button on the bed and closed her eyes. She was asleep before he even had a chance to turn out the overhead lights.

Kate poked her head in the room and whispered, "I'm taking Sheila back to the dorm."

He escorted her out to the hallway, noticing the young girl slumped on the bench down the hall. He was having a hard time mustering up any sympathy for her. "What's going to happen with her?" He head-nodded in Sheila's direction.

"It's up to campus police, but because she's cooperating with them, she'll probably swing a deal." Kate glanced behind her at the girl, and then turned back to Castle. "She's willing to testify against Peter and the other girl."

Castle nodded, softening. "Good."

"You gonna be okay here? You want me to come back after I drop her off?"

He smiled, a genuine Richard Castle smile, his eyes all crinkly. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "No. Go home. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?"

She nodded, turning to leave.

"And Kate?"

She spun around, looking at him over her shoulder. "Hmmm?"

"Thank you. Thank you for. Well, thank you for everything."

A gentle smile adorned her lips. "Always."

* * *

**S**he rested her head against the cool tile of the shower, the scalding water cascading down her tired body, pooling at her feet before cycloning clockwise down the drain. Kate's mind wouldn't shut down after she'd arrived home. She'd decided a hot shower might help to relax her, ease her mind into sleep.

It wasn't working.

There was so much more going on with Alexis than either Castle or Kate had previously known; and Kate only knew about it now because Sheila had spilled her guts on the drive home.

"None of that explains what happened to Alexis," Sheila had quickly clarified. "But, you should know, she has a real drinking problem."

The words echoed around Kate's brain with an uncomfortable familiarity. The ghosts of her past coming back to haunt her, she could hear their voices project similar concerns about her father. It had taken years to get him into sobriety. She only hoped for an easier path for Alexis.

She shut off the water and stepped out of the tub, wrapping her slender frame in a fluffy white towel. Her dad. She needed to speak with her dad. Maybe he'd have some pearls of wisdom for her.

After she was dried and pajama clad, she sat cross legged on the bed and picked up the phone. Was it too late? It was almost midnight. She hesitated, then dialed the number, taking a chance that he was still the night owl he'd always been.

"Hi Dad, it's Katie."

* * *

**A**lexis was going to be discharged that morning, so Kate went into work instead of to the hospital. She would check in on them later today at Castle's loft. Alexis wouldn't be returning to the dorms until Castle was sure she was okay and Peter was behind bars, or expelled, or both.

Campus police had gathered enough evidence that the D.A. felt confident she had a case against Peter and Meryl. Sheila's testimony, along with the physical evidence, was enough to take to a grand jury for an indictment. But, Kate was beginning to think this case was much bigger than a puerile college freshman prank. She was beginning to think it was much more sinister, with many more victims in its wake.

The only problem was, she was NYPD homicide and campus police had jurisdiction. There was no way Gates was going to let her investigate. She'd scheduled a meeting with the campus police chief investigator to share her concerns. She hoped that she would be allowed to consult on the case as an invested third party, thereby skirting police regs on jumping cases.

But, before she did that, she had a phone call to make. She dug through her old rolodex and found the hastily scribbled number. Dialing it, she called up a silent prayer that this would work.

"Hello. This is Detective Kate Beckett, I'd like to speak with Sky Blue, please?"

* * *

**K**ate eased her way through the front door using her key, balancing the bag of take-out food in one hand. Castle jumped off the couch to help her, taking the bag, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hi. Thanks for picking this up. Alexis loves Thai food!"

"Sure," Kate replied, toeing off her shoes and closing the door behind her. "I'm happy to do it. How's Alexis?" She glanced up the stairs.

"She's taking a nap. Glad to be home, I think," Castle replied, nosing through the bag of food.

"Is she feeling better?" Kate asked, easing onto one of the stools surrounding the high top kitchen counter.

"I think so. She's been kind of quiet. Kept to her room, mostly. Mother went out to get her her favorite Ice cream. That always cheers her up!" He smiled.

"Ah," Kate nodded, concern etching her face.

"I know that look," Castle stated. "What is it?"

Her eyes lighted on him. "Castle. I know Alexis told you the whole story about what happened with Peter."

"Yeah. That he had one of those girls take pictures of him in bed with her. Little shit."

Kate nodded. "Right. But,"

Castle stopped, his hand with the takeout container suspended in midair. "What? Kate? Did he? Was there more to what he did to her? Alexis said it was just the pictures."

"No, no. Castle, nothing like that," Kate quickly reassured him. "It's just, Sheila made a comment when I took her home that makes me believe Alexis' drinking is a lot more serious than we thought."

"What?" He scoffed.

"You don't think so?"

"No, it's not that. I just, I think she's learned her lesson," Castle reasoned.

Kate bit the inside of her cheek while Castle resumed unpacking the bag of food. "I hope you're right, Castle. I do. But, I think we should be prepared in case her problems with alcohol are more serious."

He sighed, put the paper bag on the floor and busied himself opening the containers. "I appreciate your perspective, Kate. I do. But, she's home now, I'm going to keep an eye on her. She knows how serious this was. She knows she almost died. I think it's going to be okay."

Kate reached over and caressed the back of his hand. "I hope so."

* * *

**H**e'd insisted she sleep over, but neither of them were sleeping well. At two-thirty, Kate decided to give up, go make some tea, maybe read for a bit.

She crept out of bed, careful not to wake Castle who had finally drifted off to sleep. She padded to the bathroom and threw on his fluffy blue bathrobe, then tiptoed out of the bedroom.

When she entered the great room, she was surprised by the soft glow of light illuminating the kitchen counters. When she stepped closer, she could see that the refrigerator door was open and as she reached it, the door swung shut, plunging the room into darkness.

But there was enough ambient light spilling in through the long windows of the loft for Kate to see that she was standing toe-to-toe with Alexis.

Alexis gasped, startled. "Beckett!"

Kate looked crestfallen, eying the open bottle of chilled wine in the girls' hand. "Alexis? What are you _doing_?"

**A/N: For a reminder as to who Sky Blue is, re-watch episode 2x07; Famous Last Words. Again, thanks for reading. Next chapter coming soon! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Laser Tagged  
****By Dana Keylits**

**Chapter Eleven**

_He'd insisted she sleep over, but neither of them were sleeping well. At two-thirty, Kate decided to give up, go make some tea, maybe read for a bit. _

_She crept out of bed, careful not to wake Castle who had finally drifted off to sleep. She padded to the bathroom and threw on his fluffy blue bathrobe, then tiptoed out of the bedroom. _

_When she entered the great room, she was surprised by the soft glow of light illuminating the kitchen counters. When she stepped closer, she could see that the refrigerator door was open and as she reached it, the door swung shut, plunging the room into darkness. _

_But there was enough ambient light spilling in through the long windows of the loft for Kate to see that she was standing toe-to-toe with Alexis._

_Alexis gasped, startled. "Beckett!"_

_Kate looked crestfallen, eying the open bottle of chilled wine in the girl's hand. "Alexis? What are you doing?"_

* * *

"**W**hat? I'm not doing anything," Alexis sputtered, hiding the bottle behind her back.

Kate made a face, pointing at the bottle. "Alexis."

"Oh, this. No, Kate. It's not what you think. I was just..." She stopped, apparently searching for explanatory words.

Except Kate knew there weren't any. "Alexis. Please don't lie to me."

They stared at each other, the air between them thick, intense, anticipatory. Finally, Alexis dropped her shoulders, setting the bottle down with a hard clunk on the counter beside her. "Fine," she cut through the silence. "Fine. I was, I was going to have one glass, Kate. I..." she tucked an errant strand of ginger hair behind her ear. "I couldn't sleep and I was upset, and I thought it would help relax me so I could fall asleep."

"Now you're just lying to _yourself_."

Alexis threw her a sharp look. "What do you want? I admitted it, didn't I? God. Why did dad have to fall in love with a _cop_?"

Kate took a step closer to the girl, hugging the blue flannel bathrobe tightly around her slender frame. "Alexis, when I'm here, with you and your family, I'm not a cop. I'm your friend."

"Sure. Until you and Dad break up, and _then_ what are you?!"

Kate froze. "What?"

Alexis frowned. "Nothing. Never mind."

"No," Kate demanded, stepping so close they were only inches apart. "What did you mean by that? Alexis, your dad and I are not breaking up."

"I know," she mumbled, her eyes dropping to look at the ground, "Never mind, okay? Forget I even said it."

Kate sighed, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Okay. Fine. Let's talk about this, instead." She pointed at the bottle of wine on the counter.

Alexis shifted her weight, then backed a few steps away from Kate. "I'm tired. Can't we just pretend it never happened?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you're gonna make me pay for this."

"Really?" Kate asked, a sudden anger surfacing. "Is that what you think of me, Alexis?"

Alexis folded her arms, inhaled deeply and then looked up at Kate. "No. I'm sorry. I just think you're making too big of a deal out of it."

Kate nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. "I'm making a big deal about it, because I think it _is_ a big deal. I'm worried about you. Your Dad is worried, Martha, Lanie - hell, even your friend _Max_, they're _all_ worried about you!"

"Hey!' Castle's disembodied voice interrupted. "What's going on?"

Kate and Alexis turned to see Castle walking towards them, wearing only boxers and a blue t-shirt, rubbing his left eye with the heel of his hand.

"S'everything okay?"

"No," Kate replied.

"Yes," Alexis spat.

He reached the counter and stared at them, his gaze shifting from Kate to Alexis then back again. He could obviously tell by their body language that something wasn't right. "What is it?"

Kate eyed Alexis, waiting for her to tell him. When she didn't, Kate pointed at the bottle. "Your daughter was about to pour herself a glass of wine."

"God! Kate!" Alexis cried.

"What? I'm not keeping your secret. Not about this. If you're going to drink, I'm going to tell." She spun around, kissed Castle on the cheek and said, "I'll be in the bedroom."

And she walked away.

* * *

**K**ate paced back and forth in front of the bed. This was getting icky. It was _feeling_ icky and _way_ too familiar. The memories of her father's alcohol abuse were not ones she cared to revisit, but she would if she had to; if it meant helping Alexis. But, Castle needed to get his head out of his ass or they were never going to get anywhere.

She paced a few more times before crawling beneath the covers into her side of the bed. She turned on the bedside lamp and picked up her book.

But, after reading the same paragraph twice and not remembering a single word, she dog-eared the page, set the book back down, and snapped off the light.

It wasn't until she felt the mattress dip beside her that she realized she'd nodded off, and she glanced at the clock on the nightstand to see how long she'd been sleeping. It was three-thirty in the morning.

She reached across the cool expanse between them, finding his chest and patting it sympathetically. "You okay?"

He groaned, pulling the covers over his legs.

It was all the answer she needed. She rolled onto her side, her head easing onto his shoulder, her legs coiling around him. "I'm so sorry, Castle."

He nodded, yawning. "Thanks."

"So...?"

He rubbed his forehead, then his eyes, before exhaling slowly. "I don't know what to do, Kate."

She caressed his chest with the palm of her hand, her fingers playing with the hem of his shirt at the neck. "I know that helpless feeling," she replied, sympathetically. "What did she say?"

"That we were blowing everything out of proportion. That she was just trying to sleep."

Kate held her breath. "And," she closed her eyes. "...what do you think? Do you believe her?"

"No."

Kate glanced up at him, "So...?"

His eyes glazed over, a tear spilled down one cheek, and he choked, "I think my little girl has a problem with alcohol." He sighed. "And, there's _nothing_ I can do about it!"

Kate propped herself on one elbow, caressing his face with her fingers, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, then gently rubbed her thumb along his lower lip. "Castle, we don't give up. We keep trying, we get her to talk, we confront her, we don't keep secrets. That's not _nothing_."

He nodded, his lips pursed, his beautiful bright blue eyes wounded.

She kissed him again, thumbing away his tears, wishing she could do the same for his pain. "I have an idea that might help."

He brought his hand up to her face, ran his fingers along her eyebrow, gently caressing her temple. "What is it?"

"Do you remember Sky Blue?"

"Yes." One finger looping a tendril of chestnut hair around it.

"I spoke with her today. I was thinking maybe we could get Alexis to talk with her. Sky is willing to share what happened to her when she was using drugs and alcohol. Maybe Alexis will listen to her, since she won't listen to us?"

He rolled onto his side, sliding his leg comfortably between hers, his fingers still playing in her hair. "That's a good idea." His eyes lit up, he looked hopeful. "That's a _really_ good idea."

She smiled, "I'm glad you agree."

"I'm sorry, Kate." He frowned, a line forming between his eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to really see what was going on. You tried to warn me."

"You don't have to be sorry, Castle. It's part of what happens. It's hard to see your kid struggling with this," she affirmed. "It's easier to be in denial."

"I should have paid closer attention."

She shushed him by placing one finger delicately over his lips. "Why don't we try to get some sleep?"

"I'm not sleeping," he replied, pointing at his temple. "My mind is working on overdrive."

She took his hand in hers, kissed the inside of his wrist, then moved to sit up. "C'mon," she urged, tugging him.

"What? Where are you taking me?"

"Let's take a nice long, hot bath together. If we're not gonna sleep, we may as well at least try to relax for an hour."

While she drew the bath, pouring in ample lavender scented bubbles, he wordlessly lit the few candles that were scattered around the spacious bathroom. He lifted his t-shirt up and over his head, tossing it carelessly at the life-sized Boba Fett that stood sentry in the corner, then slipped out of his boxers. She watched him, her lips bowed, her eyes shiny. She cocked her head as she admired his masculine slopes and lines, particularly his backside, completely forgetting to tend to the bath water. He gave her a crooked smile then pointed at the running faucet. She jumped, bent over the tub, and turned it off. When she turned back around, he was standing right beside her and she gasped.

With eager hands, he inched his fingers beneath the hem of her t-shirt, drawing it slowly up her body. His fingertips skimmed her warm flesh as he made his way, leaving thousands of pinpricked shivers in their wake. He added her t-shirt to the pile of clothes layered at Boba Fetts jackbooted feet. She shuddered, moving closer to him for warmth, her fingertips strumming his ribcage. He hooked his thumbs over the waistband of her girl boxers and pushed them down, over her hips, her thighs, her shapely calves until they were gathered at her ankles. She stepped out of them, absently kicking them towards the futuristic bounty hunter.

She gingerly stepped into the massive tub, testing the water temperature with her toe before easing into it; then lounged against the cushioned backrest he'd installed just for her. She opened her knees to make room for him and he joined her, sitting in the vee of her legs. He carefully rested his back against her front, his head finding comfort on her shoulder. She enveloped him with her arms and legs and they both closed their eyes, sighing the sigh of the contented.

He moaned again, mournfully, filled with emotion and remorse, fear, hurt, even anger. And, she held him more tightly, her lips pressing against his ear, she whispered, "my legs are 44 inches long, did you know that? That means you've got 88 inches of therapy _wrapped_ around you right now."

He chuckled, his laughter bouncing off the tiled walls, echoing around them, and replied, "You're quoting Julia Roberts from _Pretty Woman_?"

"Damn! I was hoping you wouldn't know that!" She dipped her head, nipping at his earlobe playfully as she splashed a few drops of water towards his face. "The sentiment is the same, Castle," she whispered. "Let me take care of you tonight," She reached behind her for the loofah sponge and bath gel, immersed the sponge in the scalding water, then poured a generous amount of the amber liquid onto it. She loped the loofah evenly, slowly, in lazy little circles, along his shoulders, his collarbone, down his chest, below the waterline and along the trail of curly hair that led southward from his navel. He flinched, groaning. She smiled.

When she'd lathered the soap over his entire chest, she dropped the sponge, letting it float in the water in front of them. Her breasts pressed against his back, her arms curved around him, she massaged his tepid skin with her fingers, eliciting a pleasurable moan from deep within his throat.

She relished this time with him, the powerful way her hands, her fingers, could provide him with relief, even if only for an hour.

The measured rise and fall of his chest, his body heavy against her, revealed that he'd already considerably relaxed, and she was grateful for this brief reprieve – for them both. She kissed him softly on the cheek as her hands played across his chest, swirling the lathered soap in figure eight patterns against his skin.

She peppered him with tiny little kisses along his cheek, his neck, his jaw. "Sit up," she tenderly commanded, and he opened his eyes and leaned forward. "Hand me the sponge."

She applied more shower gel to the loofah, and then lazily scrubbed his back, lathering the entire breadth of him with the soothing emollient. She again let go of the sponge and then plied her fingers into him, kneading and massaging his anxious muscles, digging her thumbs into the sinewy flesh along his spine, just above the ample curve of his butt, and slowly managing them all the way up to the base of his neck, where she rubbed his muscles in concentric circles. Then, she firmly squeezed his shoulders with her thumb and fingers, over and over, until his head lolled forward and he moaned.

"Ohhh, Kate. That feels _amaaaay-zing."_

She reached for the sponge that was bobbing in the bathwater like a child's toy sailboat, and plunged it beneath the surface to free it of the remaining soap. Squeezing it over his back, she rinsed him, sending rivers of warm water chasing down his flesh in haphazard paths, forcing the soap to gather and swirl atop the water that surrounded them. "Lean into me, Rick," she softly ordered, and he reclined kindly against her breasts.

She held the sponge over his chest, letting the water trickle down it, washing away the lathered soap. She rinsed the rest of him with her hands, splashing delicate waves of water over his soapy skin.

She could feel the tension rinsing away from them, too, spiraling from their bodies and into the ether. She closed her eyes and sighed, not needing a single thing right now. Not air, or food, or water, or anyone else. Just him. Only him.

She bowed her head to his neck, planting warm open-mouthed kisses along his charged skin, her teeth slightly scraping him, nipping at his earlobe, her tongue laving his flesh. With one hand snaked around his shoulder, she fanned the other down his chest, over his sternum, his ribcage, beneath the line of water to his stomach - and lower. She curled her fingers around him and his response was immediate, his body growing rigid with her lovingly carnal touch.

She whispered into his ear, "_Let me take care of you, Castle_." She slowly moved her hand against him. "_Just relax, enjoy it_."

A long, slow approving breath passed his lips and he reached up and behind him, his fingers tangling in her hair. He tilted his head sideways so his lips could meet hers in a gentle probing kiss. She increased the stroke of her hand, and his mouth opened against her, his breath catching in his throat. He closed his eyes, his head tumbling backwards, as he savored her ministerial touch. The only sounds resonating off the walls in the room were of the water splashing against the side of the tub, and their quick panting breaths.

A welcome, familiar, low tickle spread across her belly from the sight and feel of him so relaxed and open against her; even while her hand held the part of him that was decisively _aroused_.

She involuntarily rocked her hips against his back and he immediately pressed against her, sensing her need. Call and response.

"Wait, Kate. Stop," he requested.

She paused, letting go of him.

He turned gingerly, so he was on top of her now, his arm bracing against the bottom of the tub, water splashing over its edge. He positioned himself between her legs, grinding against her and she gasped, shards of pleasure shooting throughout her body like fireworks on the Fourth of July. He kissed her, his tongue curious between her lips, his breath warm and sweet.

"Let's take care of each other," he whispered into her mouth.

She pulled away, her eyes lighting him. "Castle," she framed his face with both hands, "God, I love you for that. But, It's not necessary. I wanted to be here for _you_."

"I want to, Kate. Besides, this _is_ being here for me." He moved his hips against her and her eyes fluttered shut, a quiver of desire coursing through her. She whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck, succumbing to him, to this, to them_ together. _

And, as their bodies joined in that _knowing _way, she offered a silent prayer to the heavens that she'd had the good sense to finally accept that he was most definitely _more_ than a _partner_.

* * *

**T**hey slept in, Kate called in to the precinct to let them know she was taking a couple of hours of personal leave, and then she hopped in the shower while Castle went to the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee. Altogether they'd gotten less than four hours of sleep, and they were both feeling more than a little sluggish, even as they also felt wholly satisfied from their middle of the night lovemaking. It had renewed them, rejuvenated them, one more amazing experience tucked away in the mental file cabinet of their less than a year-long relationship.

When Kate had toweled off and slipped into the flannel blue bathrobe, she strode into the kitchen to retrieve her mug of steaming coffee. Castle had already poured it, leaving it on the counter for her. She picked it up, inhaled deeply, the heat and soothing scent of the freshly ground and brewed coffee warming her like a hand sewn quilt in the middle of winter.

She hadn't noticed Castle was upset, standing rigidly by the refrigerator, his back to her, until she opened her eyes and saw that he hadn't moved. His head was lowered, looking at something in his hands.

She set the mug down, "Castle? What is it?"

He slowly turned around, the almost empty bottle of white wine in his hands. "She did it anyway, Kate."

"Did what?" And then she eyed the bottle and her heart sank. "Oh, no. Oh, Castle." Clearly, at least three full glasses worth of wine were missing from the bottle. "We need to…"

The pealing of the doorbell cut her off, and they both turned towards the door. Castle, the bottle of wine still in his hands, crossed the room to answer it.

Meredith.

Castle's ginger-haired ex-wife stood on the other side of the door, travel bags at her feet, her hands on her hips and a disapproving expression on her face.

She breezed past him and into the apartment, whirling on him like a Tasmanian devil. "Where is my daughter, Richard, and how the _hell_ could you have let this happen to her?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Laser Tagged  
****By Dana Keylits****  
**

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

**A/N: Detective Murphy's first name is pronounced 'Kee-Vah" I had originally used the name Siobhan (pronounced 'Sha-Von'), but then the writers over there at Castle used it in Wild Rover. Go figure. Fortunately the Irish have a plethora of difficult-to-spell names from which I could choose. **

* * *

**S**he awoke to the sharp angry voices of her mother and father fighting, their unforgiving words echoing up the staircase, forcing her into consciousness. From the sound of it, Gram was in the middle of it, too. She wondered when her mother had arrived, and groaned at the prospect of having to have _that_ conversation.

Alexis blinked, rubbed the gravel from her eyes and then swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She eyed the empty wine glass as it mocked her from the bedside table. She stared at it blankly as though puzzled by its presence in her room. As though not remembering that _she_ was the girl who'd filled it three times last night - in spite of the midnight promises she'd made to her dad.

In spite of the promises she'd made to _herself_.

She stood up and wandered over to the closet, the heated voices from downstairs becoming nothing more than white noise, and positioned herself in front of the full-length mirror that hung on the back of the door. She was pale, too pale, paler than normal. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them and the bright blue of her irises were now a dull grey. She was too skinny.

She looked as she felt. Washed out, older, unhappy, lost. Every morning she'd vow not to drink, but by each afternoon she'd justify why she could. She'd done and said things that just _weren't_ her. And, she didn't know why. She'd once told her father, a time that felt like it was a hundred years ago, that she was the only member of their family blessed with good judgment. She couldn't say that about herself now. No one could. And, she was consumed by an overwhelming sense of shame and fear, _disappointment_ over the person she was becoming.

She frowned, turning away from her reflection as the disembodied voices of her parents grew harsher and more urgent. It was time to go downstairs. Time to deal with them. With _her. _Time to take control of her life. Time to become the girl she had always been. She didn't know when or how, but she had gotten lost. She was someone else. And, she didn't like this version of herself very much.

Taking a deep breath, as though cleansing her soul as well as her lungs, she glanced back at her reflection in the mirror and made a decision. Something clicked, it was time to change. Time to take control.

And she knew she had to start by telling the truth.

She picked up the empty wine glass.

As she reached the top of the staircase, her mother's angry words flew up to meet her.

"This _is_ all your fault, Richard! She follows _your _example. She always has! She's a daddy's girl, don't you know that?"

"Mom!"

Four sets of eyes suddenly turned to stare up at her. They were all crowded around the foyer. Her dad had the bottle of wine in his hand and Alexis took a deep breath as she descended the rest of the staircase, knowing exactly the question that was going to pass from his lips.

She held the glass up and gave it to him. "I'm sorry. I drank it. I know what I promised, and..."

"Oh, honey," Meredith mooned, curling her arm around Alexis' shoulders. "You don't have to apologize..."

Alexis shrugged out of her mother's arms and backed away, tears brimming her eyes. "Yes, I do! I don't know why I did it. I don't know what's happening to me. But, I'm going to do something about it. It's time I grew up."

"Alexis, darling, you're just..." Meredith started.

"Mom!" Alexis interrupted, "Please. You haven't been here, you don't know! And, you don't get to blame Dad!"

"Alexis," Castle interjected. "Sweetie, your mom is just worried about you. We're all," he swept the room with his arm. "...worried about you."

"I know you are. And, Daddy, I love you for it. But, I've decided this is a mess I have to clean up on my own."

"Darling, you just need to relax a little." Meredith offered. "Why don't you come with me, I'm staying at the Ritz. We'll have a girl's week away together. You can _forget_ about all of this nastiness, forget about school, it'll be _fun_."

Alexis sighed, her shoulders slumped. "You don't get it. I know you mean well, mom. I do. But, you can't help me. And, certainly not with shopping or pedicures or a _facial_."

"Alexis," Castle whispered

"Neither can you, Dad. I mean, not really. I have to figure this out for myself." He looked crestfallen and it pained her. But, she needed to do this _her_ way.

She walked over to Kate who'd been silently leaning against the pillar observing all of this. "Detective Beckett, would you mind driving me to my appointment at school? And, I'd like to stop by my dorm room and get some of my stuff."

Kate pushed her elbows into the wall, shoving herself forward while glancing at Castle with surprise. "Sure. Yes, I'd be happy to."

Alexis nodded. "Thank you. I just need to go change and I'll be ready. Is that okay?"

"Of course, take your time," Kate replied, her face an expression that was equal parts confusion and hope.

Alexis could feel their eyes follow her up the stairs, but she didn't look back. She couldn't look at their disappointment or worry or fear or whatever else they might be feeling about her that would be mapped all over their faces.

She just wanted to move forward.

Unfortunately, she noted with a lump in her throat, she _also_ wanted a drink.

* * *

**T**hey drove for several minutes in silence. Alexis stared blankly out of the passenger side window, lost in her own dark thoughts, the sounds and sights of the city passing her by with barely a notice. She could feel Kate stealing glances at her, questions probably just on the tip of her tongue, but Alexis appreciated the silence, the space.

There was so much Alexis wanted to say - to Kate, her dad, Gram, Max, even Lanie. But, she didn't know where to begin, _how _to begin. So, she stared mutely out of her window, wrestling with her inner demons, until finally she turned to Kate and said simply, "Thank you."

Kate tossed her a sideways glance, a smile curving the corner of her mouth. "For what?"

Inexplicably, Alexis started to cry, catching them both off guard. Huge sobs wracked her small body as her shoulders heaved up and down and she started gasping for breath.

Startled, Kate reached over and placed her hand reassuringly on Alexis' knee. "Oh, Alexis." Kate whispered.

She couldn't stop it. It was as if every problem, every issue or fear she'd kept bottled up over the last few months were finally surfacing, and a tsunami of emotion threatened to carry her away. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs, rocking back and forth against the seat belt.

Suddenly the car stopped moving and Alexis could hear Kate remove her seatbelt, the restraint retracting with an audible _zip._ She looked up and Kate had shifted in her seat to face her, a concerned look gracing her features. Kate reached over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a packet of tissues. She handed them to Alexis, who smiled meekly before blowing her nose.

"I'm sorry." Alexis squeaked.

"Don't be sorry." Kate replied, a sympathetic smile bowing her lips. "Do whatever you need to do, Alexis. I'll be right here."

Alexis wiped her cheeks with a fresh tissue. "Don't you have to be at work?"

Kate shook her head. "I called while you were changing, told them I'd be taking the whole day off."

Alexis looked taken aback. "You did that? For me?"

Kate nodded, her forehead wrinkling. "Of course."

A fresh set of tears spilled down her cheeks and Alexis quickly wiped them away. "Kate," she started, folding the tissue in her hand into a small square. "I need to get my life back."

Kate nodded.

She met the Detectives gaze. "But, I don't know _how_."

Kate bit her bottom lip, her eyes squinting thoughtfully. "Maybe you start by identifying the problem. Maybe by knowing what it is, giving it a name, you can start to deal with it?"

"You want me to say I'm an alcoholic." It was a statement, not a question.

Kate gave her a quizzical look. "Do _you_ think you're an alcoholic?"

Alexis filled her lungs with air and then exhaled slowly, deliberately. She quietly thought for a full minute before answering, appreciating Kate's willingness to let the silence simply be. She pulled her shoulders back, dropped her feet to the floor and again Met Kate's compassionate stare. "I don't know."

Kate smiled, reached over and squeezed Alexis' hand. "Well, at least you're starting at a place of honesty, Alexis. It's okay that you don't know. As long as you do the work to find out."

"But how do I do that?"

It was Kate's turn to take a deep breath. "Alexis, you know that my father is a recovering alcoholic, don't you?"

Alexis nodded.

"I called him the other night, while you were still in the hospital. I asked him what I could do for you and he suggested finding someone for you to talk to that has been where you are now." Kate scratched the tip of her nose. "Do you remember Sky Blue?"

Alexis looked up, startled. Of course she did. Sky was the sister of Haley Blue, lead singer of the Blue Pills. Haley was murdered a couple of years ago and her dad and Detective Beckett had solved the case. Sky was pretty strung out on drugs then, but had cleaned up in rehab. Alexis cocked her head, regarding Kate. "You called Sky?"

"I did. And, she's willing to meet us for lunch today. Or just you, if you prefer."

Alexis turned to stare out the windshield. She felt a mixture of relief, but also fear. She didn't want to let it get in the way, however. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?"

She turned back to look at Kate. "Yes." She shrugged her shoulders. "Let's have lunch with Sky."

Kate repositioned herself behind the steering wheel and put the car in gear, easing back into traffic. "I'll give her a call when we get to campus."

"Thanks."

"No problem," Kate answered, again reaching over and patting Alexis' knee. "Thank you for letting me in."

It had not ever occurred to Alexis that Kate even _wanted_ in. They'd always had a nice relationship, even before Kate and her dad had started dating. But, Alexis had always assumed that Kate was being so attentive out of loyalty to her dad, not because she particularly cared about Alexis.

But as she thought about it, she realized how unfair she'd been to make that assumption. Kate wasn't _anything_ like her mother, a woman who _said_ she loved her, but rarely ever showed it.

Alexis felt a lump form in her throat and squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the unbidden tears. She looked down at Kate's hand as it still rested against her knee, and tentatively covered it with her own. Kate flipped her hand so it was palm side up, and Alexis grasped it, squeezing gratefully.

They rode the rest of the way in a healing, comfortable silence.

Kate couldn't believe Alexis was letting her in. It had been too much to hope for for so long, and now all of a sudden, seemingly out of the blue, Alexis was opening up to her. Even _holding her hand_. As she pulled up to the campus building in which Alexis was about to have a meeting with her counselor, she offered up a silent prayer of thanks.

"I'll be back in an hour to pick you up, okay?"

Alexis grabbed the door handle with one hand and her purse with the other. "Okay, thanks." Then she hopped out of the car.

Kate watched her run up to the front door of the building and waited until she was inside before pulling away from the curb. Ten minutes later she was parked in one of the "guest" slots of the Campus Police headquarters building. Before getting out of the car, she quickly texted Castle to let him know that Alexis was in her meeting and that she'd agreed to meet with Sky. He texted back with a smiley face, then said he was still "dealing with" Meredith. Kate didn't envy him that. The two had exchanged some pretty bitter words, words that clearly represented deep seeded resentment for them both. Kate was more than happy to be out of there. She had no desire to be in the middle of _that_ argument.

Kate flashed her badge to the officer at the front desk and asked to speak with Detective Murphy, the lead investigator on Alexis' case. She was ushered to a large room, similar to the bullpen at the 12th and was instructed to have a seat on one of the cold plastic chairs that lined the long glass wall. Within a few minutes a tall fifty-something woman walked up to her, her hand extended. "Detective Beckett? I'm Detective CaoimheMurphy."

Kate stood up and shook the Detectives hand, following her to a large desk housed in the middle of the room.

"What can I do for you?"

Kate crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap. "As you already know, Alexis Castle is the daughter of my partner."

"Detective, let me stop you right there. As I've already explained to your colleague Detective Ryan, we've turned everything over to the D.A. and from what I know, the lawyers for Mr. Marshall and the two girls are already talking plea negotiations."

"No. I know that. But, I suspect this thing is bigger than just a freshman prank gone wrong. I suspect this Peter Marshall has not only done this before, but that he's done even worse."

Detective Murphy scooted forward in her seat, frowning. "What makes you say that?"

"Something Sheila Forstrom told me. She said she was afraid of Peter, afraid of what he'd do to her. I thing he's used this drug on _her_ and when he did, it wasn't so he could take pictures to post on Facebook."

"Have you questioned her about it?"

"No. If it's true, I didn't want to scare her off. I'm a homicide detective, not SVU."

Detective Murphy nodded. "Okay. I'll have someone talk with her. In the meantime, the DA will be contacting Alexis for her statement. Is she ready for this?"

Kate took a deep breath. "I'm not sure." She paused. "I hope so."

"She needs to _get_ ready. This kid has wealthy parents with good lawyers. Given Alexis' recent, ah, troubles, those lawyers could have a field day with her."

Kate nodded again, all too aware of what Peter's lawyers could do to Alexis on deposition. "Don't worry, her father and I will make sure she's ready."

* * *

**T**hey met Sky Blue at the Lincoln Diner near the Columbia campus. Kate joined them for a quick soda, and then excused herself, telling Alexis she had some errands to run, but she'd be back to pick her up. Alexis assumed the Detective wanted to give Alexis time to talk with Sky on her own, and although she'd have been okay with Kate joining them, she appreciated the space.

The conversation was stilted and awkward at first, but then Sky broke through the ice and got to the heart of the matter. "You've been drinking. A lot. Right?"

Alexis had been taking a sip of her soda and nearly spit it out. She set the glass down, coughing, then wiped her mouth with the napkin from her lap. "Um. Yes. I guess."

"Is it yes? Or you guess?"

Alexis blushed, unaccustomed to Sky's directness. "Yes."

"Your friends like to party?"

"Some of them."

"You ever use drugs?"

"No. I mean, yes. But just pot."

"Pot is a drug."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "I know."

"Do you drink alone?"

"Not really, I mean, mostly I'm with…"

"But you do," Sky interrupted. "You've used alcohol when you're alone?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time you had a drink?"

Alexis blushed.

"Last night, right?" Sky asked.

Alexis nodded.

Their food arrived and a silence fell over the table as they took the few first bites, then Sky put down her fork, took a sip of her iced tea and asked, "Alexis. Why do you drink?"

Alexis opened her mouth to answer, then closed it. She thought for a long time without knowing how to answer the question. Finally Sky reached across the table and tapped the back of Alexis' hand.

"It's okay if you don't know. But answer me this." She paused, waiting for Alexis to meet her gaze, and when she did, continued earnestly. "Do you wantto _stop_ drinking?"

"Yes." She didn't need to think about it. The answer was yes. Nothing good had come into her life as a result of drinking.

Sky leaned back in her chair, picking up her fork. "Okay. Good. I'd like you to go to a meeting with me tonight, if you want to. And then I'm having a private concert at 9:00, and I'd love for you and a friend – or just you – to attend. I've got a couple of front row seats available. Waddya say?"

"Wow, I, wow. I don't know _what_ to say."

"How about yes?"

Alexis bit the inside of her cheek. _Don't turn back now_, she thought. _Do the hard stuff. Do the hard stuff and you can get your life back. _

"Yes, I'd like that. Thank you."

* * *

**W**hen she got into the car, Alexis was quiet but seemed well. In fact, she seemed quite well, better than Kate had seen her in months.

"How'd it go?" Kate asked, waving at Sky as the singer walked past Kate's cruiser before getting into the back of an idling cab.

"Really good," Alexis replied. "Kate, thank you so much for setting that up."

Kate smiled. "I was happy to, Alexis. So, it was helpful?"

"Yes. Very helpful."

Kate nodded. Alexis seemed, for the first time in a very, very, long time, _herself_.

"I want to tell you something, Kate. Before we get home."

Kate raised an eyebrow and turned to face Alexis. "Okay."

Alexis suddenly blushed, biting her bottom lip. "I don't really know where to start except to apologize to you. I haven't behaved very well since you and Dad got together."

"Alexis, you don't need to…"

"No, I do," Alexis interrupted. "I know how much you mean to Dad. He's wanted to be with you for so long and I've never seen him this," she paused, "…in love before."

It was Kate's turn to blush.

"And, I'm glad you're together, but…"

"But what?" Kate asked, a line forming between her eyes.

Alexis took a deep breath and then looked directly into Kate's haze eyes. "Dad doesn't have the best track record."

Kate gave the girl a slanting grin, not sure what she was getting at but certainly not disagreeing with her. Castle wasn't exactly known for the longevity of his relationships and it was one of the reasons it had taken Kate so long to admit her feelings for him.

"So, when you two got together, I wasn't really _for_ it. Even though I knew it would make Dad happy, I just knew that I didn't want to be a part of it."

Kate frowned. "Alexis, I don't think I understand."

Alexis scratched her chin, "I'm afraid you'll break up! And then," She sighed. "…and then I'll never see you again!"

Kate's mouth fell open. _That's_ what had been bothering her all this time? She didn't know what to say. "Alexis, I can't. Honey, I…" She didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep. "I can't promise that your dad and I will always be together. I _want_ to be with him. I don't see us breaking up, but…"

"I know. There are _no_ guarantees in life. But, I like you, Kate. I always have. And, I hate to admit this, but I like you more than I like my own _mother_, even though I love her, if that makes any sense. And if you and Dad break up, then I'll never see you again. So, it just seemed easier to me to not get close to you, because I didn't want to get attached to you and then have you leave. I know. It's stupid." She blushed, stopping to catch her breath before continuing. "So, I just kept my distance as much as I could, even though I liked being around you and I saw how good you were for Dad."

Kate reached over and squeezed Alexis' hand, interrupting the girls monologue. "Alexis. It's not stupid. I totally get it. Why do you think it took me so long to _be_ with your dad?"

Alexis nodded.

"Look. I can't promise that we'll always be together. And, I can't say that if we _do_ break up you and I will still be friends. I would _like_ that, but the reality is that that probably won't happen."

Alexis frowned, nodding.

"But, we just need to take a risk, you know? Not let our fear of what _might_ happen stop us from enjoying our lives, from enjoying our friendship. Okay?"

"That's what I want. That's why I…" Alexis looked up. "It's why I told you all of this. Because, I'm….One of the things Sky told me I'll need, are my friends. My _real_ friends."

Kate smiled. "So, you think I can be one of those?"

"Yes. If that's okay."

"It's more than okay."

Alexis grinned. "Good, because I was wondering. Um. Sky gave me two tickets to a concert she's having tonight, and I was wondering if you would go with me?"

Kate could barely contain her excitement. Alexis was finally letting her in, finally reaching back, and she was _beyond _thrilled. She smiled. "I'd love to, Alexis. Thank you for asking."

Alexis suddenly reached over and hugged Kate.

"No, Kate." Alexis whispered. "Thank you. For everything."


	13. Chapter 13

**Laser Tagged  
**By Dana Keylits

**Chapter 13**

**C**astle paced back and forth in front of the loft door, wearing a two-foot wide pattern into the well-polished maple wood floor. He checked his watch, then checked it again, his eyes darting over the digital screen, not really seeing it. Sighing, he roughly raked his fingers through his already well-tousled hair, a sense of panic rising up from his belly. He glanced at the door, almost willing it to open, and then checked his watch a third time.

"Castle, will you please come sit down?" Kate finally asked, blowing a wayward strand of hair from her forehead as she set her book down to glare at him. "You're making _me_ nervous."

Kate had been home for over two hours, having gone with Alexis to Sky's concert, which was fun, especially the front row passes and the backstage tour. But then Sky had asked Alexis to hang with her and some of her friends afterwards, so Kate had gone back to Castle's loft alone.

"She should be home by now," he whined.

"It's barely 1:30. Sky was bringing her home after they'd had some food. Don't worry."

He flopped down on the couch beside her, his hands falling limply in his lap. "And, how do we know Sky is even clean? I mean, she could still be using drugs, too, you know! She could be taking Alexis with her to some high-priced rock-n-roll drug party and they're both getting lit as we speak!"

"Castle!" Kate admonished, placing her hand gently in his and squeezing. "Your ever-fertile imagination is getting the better of you."

His eyebrows shot up and he shifted in his seat to face her, "Oh, really? Kate, could you have ever imagined the things that have happened to Alexis? The things that she has done? Ever? Ever in your wildest imaginings, could you have told _this_ story?"

Kate paused, biting the inside of her cheek as her chameleon hazel eyes met his panicked baby blue's. She squeezed his hand again. "Well, no. No, it's completely out of character for Alexis, that's true. But, Castle, I've been in contact with Sky. I believe she's clean. And, the way Alexis was talking to me today, I think she 's serious about getting her life back together, I don't think she wants to jeopardize that."

Castle sighed, exhaling slowly as he stared up at the ceiling, feeling his eyes well up with unbidden tears. "God, I hope you're right."

Kate reached up and caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand, wiping her thumb over the single tear that had spilled over the rim of his eye. She smiled sweetly, then kissed him gently on the lips. "I'm so sorry, Rick, I'm so sorry that this has happened, but I think we have reason to be optimistic."

He looked at her, his expression betraying the unspoken question, _why, how?_

"Sky got clean, lots of people get into recovery, my dad did," Kate explained. "And, Alexis has resources a lot of people who get clean _don't_ have. I have little doubt you will spare no expense to get her the help she needs if it comes to that." She wiped his cheek again. "We are _miles _away from hopeless, Castle. We take this one day at a time, just like Alexis, 'kay?"

"'kay"

She was good at this. Always had been. Talking him down from his sometimes-insane, off-the-reservation, panicked parental assumptions. How many times had she advised him about Alexis? How many times had she been the port in the storm? The one to point the way towards reasonableness? Other than his mother, Castle was unaccustomed to having someone to share his parenting duties with, given how absent Meredith had been. But he and Kate weren't even married, yet, and already she was a better parent to Alexis than Meredith had ever been, could ever _be._

He sighed and leaned his head against her shoulder. Her hand involuntarily fluttered up to pat his cheek, smooth his hair away from his face. She silently kissed his forehead, and he felt calmer, his body relaxing.

And then the front door opened and Alexis breezed in, looking bright, excited, _sober_.

Castle jumped off the couch, Kate right behind him. He held his breath.

She was smiling. His daughter was smiling, and she was _alive_, happy…sober. She was sober, at least she seemed sober. But, more noticeably, she seemed happy.

"Daddy," she exclaimed, halting in her tracks. "You're up, you're waiting up for me?" she asked, looking from Castle to Kate, then back at her father.

"I, um, honey, I just…" he bumbled.

She glided over to him, her eyes bright, a broad smile still gracing her lips, "It's okay, dad. I'd have probably stayed up too," she glanced at Kate, smiling, then turned back to her father. "Someday, you won't have to worry. Someday, I'll earn your trust again." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, honey." Castle said, his hand caressing the spot on his cheek where she'd just kissed him.

When she reached the staircase, Alexis spun around, her ginger ponytail flying in the air behind her. "And, thank you. Kate, thank you for…for today, and tonight, and for Sky."

Kate smiled, slinking one arm through Castle's, "You're welcome, Alexis."

Alexis nodded before skipping up the stairs.

Castle exhaled, a relieved smile curving his mouth and he melted into Kate's arms.

"Feel better?" she asked, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she looked at the staircase that Alexis had just disappeared up.

"Yes," he replied, sinking into her further, his whole body collapsing against her. "Yes."

"Let's go to bed." Kate grabbed his hand and towed him to the bedroom, shutting off the lights on their way.

Their lovemaking was, for the first time in a long time, entirely about them. It wasn't out of some need for comfort, or stress relief, or a diversion from worry. It was because he loved her, and she loved him, and with Alexis safely home, sober, seemingly happy, dealing with her problems, Castle could focus on _his_ life again.

His life with _Kate_. And as he drifted off to sleep, naked, wrapped in Kate's reassuring arms, he thought, just maybe, that everything would finally be okay.

* * *

**B**ut in the morning, reality stepped in again, bursting their idyllic little bubble. Kate received an early morning call from the lead investigator of Alexis' case. Peter Marshall was not going to plea, and the case would be going to trial. That meant Alexis would have to testify, and neither Castle nor Kate thought she was ready for that.

"That's months away, though, right?" Castle had asked, hopefully.

Kate brushed her teeth while Castle adjusted his shirt collar behind her. She met his reflection in the mirror. "Yes, but Alexis may have to testify at a pre-trial. The defense has motioned for summary judgment, essentially dismissing the case, which means a judge will have to determine whether the prosecution has enough evidence to go forward." Kate took a gulp of water, spat into the sink, and then hung her toothbrush next to Castle's. She turned around and helped him button his shirt. "That means a hearing could be set any time in the next week or two."

"Jesus, Kate!" Castle complained. "She's only been sober for one day! She's not ready for this."

"She may not even have to testify, but she _will_ need to be at the courthouse, just in case."

He shook his head. "It's just one thing after another. I should have killed that little punk when I had the chance."

"I'm glad you didn't. I don't think they'd allow conjugal visits in prison. And, what would it say that a cop was dating a convicted murderer?" She placed her hands flat upon his chest, clearly levity wasn't working. She kissed him, then swiped his lips with her thumb. "It'll be okay, Castle."

He followed her out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom, and into the kitchen. She poured herself a mug of coffee, eyed him, then poured him one, too, shaking a bit of nutmeg into it. "Castle. She'll be fine. Okay? We will be there with her. Every step of the way. She's got the whole _Twelfth_ _precinct_ on her side. Even Gates wants to help!"

"Ugh!" he moaned. "She's not ready, Beckett!"

"Not ready for what?" Alexis asked.

They turned, startled, and watched Alexis, still in her peach colored PJ's, descend the staircase.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking to her dad, then Kate, then back to her dad. "Why do you have that line going on between your eyes?" She asked, pointing at Castle's forehead.

Kate held up the coffee pot and Alexis nodded, sitting at the counter beside her father and accepting the steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee. She held the mug with both hands and savored the aromatic scent of the morning brew. "Mmmm, do you know how good it feels to wake up and not feel sick to your stomach?" She opened her eyes to find Kate smiling at her and her dad looking at her with a pained expression. "What?"

"I, honey, I have to tell you something."

She set the mug down without having taken a sip, her eyes glancing nervously between her father and Detective Beckett. "What?"

"Peter Marshall isn't going to plea."

"So?"

"So, that means you'll need to testify."

Alexis looked past her father and out the window. Then she sat up straight, shook her head, and reached for her mug, bringing it to her lips. "Good." She exclaimed, taking a tentative sip of the scalding liquid.

"Good?" Castle asked.

Kate folded her arms and looked down, smiling.

"Yes. Good. I want the world to know what that bastard did to me."

"But, honey, you'll have to tell the whole story," he explained. "Everything. And, you can believe his defense attorney is going to come after you, he's going to paint you as, well, he's going to try to say you are..."

"A drunk whore?" Alexis finished for him, setting her mug down with an audible clunk.

"Alexis." Castle chastised. He raked his fingers roughly through his hair.

"Dad. I'm sorry. Look, I know this is really hard on you," she patted the back of his hand. "But, I'm not made of glass. And, I know it's been rough," she glanced at Kate. "really rough. But, I'm stronger now. I'm _me_ again."

"You've only been sober for one day."

She nodded. "True. I won't lie. I know that's not going to be easy. But, I'm sick and tired of living this weird alternate life that _isn't_ my life, or how I ever imagined my life would be, and I just want everything to be _normal_ again. And," she held up her palm when he opened his mouth to speak, "...I can't have normal again until I put this whole thing behind me, and I can't do _that_, until I confront Peter and what he did, and then, make my own amends for what _I_ did. Okay?"

She stood up, picked up her coffee mug and then leaned in to kiss him. "Okay?"

He nodded, a resigned expression on his normally jovial face. "Okay."

She peppered his cheek with a series of three short kisses. "Good. I'm going to take a shower. I'm meeting Sky at a meeting in mid-town."

They watched her ascend the staircase, taking the steps two at a time, until they couldn't see her anymore. Kate leaned over the counter and palmed his shoulder. "See? I told you."

He sighed and sipped his coffee, looking anxiously towards the staircase.

"You raised a strong kid, Castle. She'll get through this."

"I hope so."

"I know so."

He turned back to look at her. "And how can you be so sure?"

She raised both arms and then dropped them to her sides, "She's a Castle! She might have her mothers red hair, but she's got your strength and determination." Kate folded her arms, cocking her head to one side. "Peter Marshall won't know what hit him," she observed, a satisfied smirk curving her lips.

"Oooh," Castle exclaimed, smiling for the first time since Kate got the call, "...that will be fun to watch, won't it?"

Kate nodded, "Yup."

**A/N: Thank you so much for your patience! I am already busily writing the next chapter, which might be the final chapter, so I should have it updated soon. An epilogue will follow. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Laser Tagged  
**By Dana Keylits

**Chapter Fourteen**

**I**t had been ten days.

Ten days since her last drink.

Alexis was feeling better, stronger, less like she was walking on shifting sand, as each long day turned to night. She wouldn't deny that there had been times when she'd desperately wanted to take a drink, even telling herself she could have just a sip; that there had even been temptations, very _tempting_ temptations. But, she'd only had to think of the misery that that alternate universe of a life had caused her, had caused the people she loved, and she was able to resist.

More importantly, she was learning that every time she resisted, every time she passed by an opportunity to drink, it became easier and easier to pass up.

She'd noticed her father relaxing more as well. In fact, the other night when she'd walked in on him and Beckett sharing a quiet moment on the couch, each of them holding a glass of red wine, he didn't flinch or try to hide the glass. He was beginning to trust her more.

For _that_, she was truly grateful.

And, through it all, she'd discovered who her truest friends were, and it had turned out that none of the girls she'd befriended from her dorm were _that_. But, Max was. Max was becoming important to her, spending time with her, even accompanying her to meetings, learning what it meant for her to be sober. And, although he _could_ drink, time and again, he chose not to.

It thrilled her to think about what a future with him might look like. Not that she was focused on that right now, but knowing that it could be around the corner, once she got her life together, provided her with an immense feeing of solace and simple joy.

The date for the hearing was coming up and her dad was _far_ _more_ nervous than she was. She was prepared to tell her story, all of it. She _needed_ to tell it, as though she couldn't move on without getting it out, without confronting Peter, without having her say. The prosecutor had spent hours prepping her for her testimony, and for the possible questions the defense would throw at her. At one point during the meeting, she'd noticed her father slip out of the mock courtroom. The accusations and intimations of her drinking, using drugs, and sexual exploits had become quite detailed and explicit during the fake cross-examination. Clearly, her father couldn't handle it, and Alexis had visibly winced when she saw how much this was hurting him. She was learning to forgive herself, but it was hard, so hard, seeing how much her behavior had affected him.

Kate had followed him out of the room and they'd remained in the hallway during the rest of her preparation. At dinner that night, Beckett had confided in Alexis that it had taken every ounce of restraint for her dad to not jump over the railing separating the gallery from the mock courtroom and throttle the prosecutor.

Alexis was beginning to think that maybe it would be a good idea for him to skip the trial. She didn't want to see her dad winding up in jail because he couldn't keep his temper in check.

She smiled at the thought, not that she was happy that he was upset, just happy that he cared so much about her. She had never, not once in her life, doubted how much her father loved her. She'd doubted her mothers affection all the time, Meredith had never been that interested in being a mother, but Alexis had never been moved to wonder about her dad's parental affections.

He had always been her constant, her one true light.

She checked her outfit in the mirror, a pair of skinny jeans paired with a wispy, cream colored t-shirt and ballet slippers, and smiled at her bright reflection. Then she headed downstairs for breakfast. It smelled like someone was cooking bacon, probably Kate, and her stomach rumbled loudly in anticipation.

But, when she got to the bottom of the stairs she stopped in her tracks, horrified.

"What are you doing here?" Alexis asked, walking straight up to her former friend. Sheila Forstrom was standing next to Kate, who had just let her into the loft. "I don't want to see you."

"Alexis, she's here to see me," Kate explained, looking at Castle's daughter apologetically.

"Actually, both of you," Sheila explained, and then glanced over at Castle who was still standing in the kitchen. "Really, all of you," she clarified.

"You've already explained yourself, you've already apologized. I don't need to hear anything else," Alexis barked.

"Honey," Castle interjected, walking around the counter to join the three of them in the foyer.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm working on forgiving you, Sheila, hell, I'm working on forgiving _myself_. But that doesn't mean we're ever going to be friends, and it doesn't mean I care to hear what you have to say."

"He raped me." Sheila blurted.

They all looked at her, stunned. Kate reacted first.

"When?" She reached out and wrapped her fingers around the girls forearm. "When?"

"At the beginning of the semester." Sheila replied, bursting into tears.

Alexis felt horrible. "God, Sheila. I'm so, I'm so sorry." She wrinkled her forehead. "But, if you knew he..." she paused, a burst of anger flaring up. "If you knew he was capable of that, why did you help him drug me? He could have..." She immediately regretted her words. Even though it was a legitimate question, now wasn't the time.

Her face hidden behind her hands, the up and down of her shoulders and strangled cries rising from her throat, were ample evidence of the pain Sheila was in. Kate led her by the shoulders to the couch, rubbing her back, offering quiet reassurances that she would be okay, that it would be alright. She motioned at Castle to get a glass of water, then sat on the coffee table opposite the girl, her hand resting on Sheila's knee. "Sheila, tell me what happened."

Alexis sat on the couch, an arms length from Sheila, genuine concern etched on her face. Her flash of anger gone as quickly as it had arrived as Sheila's news sank in. _That could have been me._ Alexis thought, and although she was still struggling to forgive Sheila, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

When Castle returned with the glass of water, Sheila gratefully accepted it, and then regarded the three of them with bloodshot eyes, her mascara a trail of wicked lines running down her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before taking a tentative sip of the water. "I haven't told anyone that before, and it just, I just, I didn't know I'd react like that." She pulled a tissue from the box Castle was holding in front of her and blew her nose. She took another and took a swipe at her eyes, effectively smearing the mascara around her cheeks rather than wiping it off.

"It's okay, Sheila," Kate reassured. She glanced up to gauge Castle's reaction and was relieved to see his face was nothing but a mask of sympathy. She turned back to Sheila, leaning empathetically towards her. "Can you tell us what happened?"

* * *

"**G**od, that poor child," Castle mumbled, toeing off his shoes and frowning at Beckett.

Kate had already retired to the bedroom and was curled up in bed like an indolent cat, an open book in her hands, _The Marriage of True Minds_ by Stephen Evans. She had been thinking that someone needed to turn the novel into a film when Castle had loped into the room, looking disconsolate and testy.

"She's got a tough road ahead of her," Kate agreed.

"Ya think?" Castle replied, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

Kate rolled onto her back and sat up against the pillows. She turned the book over and laid it in her lap, the covers splayed out like a tent to keep her page. "What's going on?"

He was standing at the bureau, his back to her. He took off his watch and laid it on top of the dresser, then unbuttoned his shirt as he turned to stare at her. "Nothing. I'm just, I feel bad for her."

"And?" Kate asked, knowing full well there was something else playing on his mind, she could see it mapped all over his face, the familiar worry lines popping up on his forehead like an accordion, his lips pursed tightly, his inability to make eye contact with her.

"And, nothing," He barked.

"Castle."

He exhaled loudly, dropping his arms to his sides and then raised one hand to knead his forehead as though he had a pounding headache. He stood like that for several seconds, his shirt unbuttoned and hanging loosely from his shoulders, the top button of his jeans undone. He finally shrugged the shirt off and threw it on the chair in the corner of the room. "I feel terrible for the kid, I do, no woman deserves what happened to her. But, I still feel, I just feel, I don't know." He struggled to find the right word.

Kate just waited, her hands folded patiently in her lap. Her long hair fell loosely around her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear. She raised her eyebrows at him, encouraging him to go on.

"I feel really bipolar about the whole thing, Kate. And, I feel _terrible_ for feeling that way."

Kate raised her eyebrows even higher. "You mean, like she _deserved _it?"

"No! God no. Not that. It's just, she _hurt_ Alexis, Kate. And, what happened to her _could_ have happened to Alexis. I can't stop thinking about that. Every detail of her story was so similar to Alexis', except, you know, for the actual rape part of it." He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "But, I blame her for what _did _happen to Alexis." He dropped his hand to lie at his side and took a deep breath, exhaling forcefully through puffed up cheeks before finishing. "And, I feel _guilty_ for thinking that, especially after everything she told us tonight. _She _was as much of a victim as Alexis was."

Kate cocked her head sympathetically and patted the comforter beside her. Castle paused, then crossed the room and sat on the bed, his body weight shifting the mattress, causing Kate to lean slightly towards him. She reach out and curled her fingers around his ear, her thumb mapping the shell of it, before raking them through his hair, leaving a path of tousled hair in her wake. "You're a good man, Richard Castle."

He tucked his chin, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "What?"

She angled towards him and kissed his lips softly, then stared into his baby blues, her eyes drifting from one to the other as a sweet smile curved her lips. "That you are struggling with dichotomous feelings about Sheila proves that you're not an ass, Castle. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Of course you've got mixed emotions about the girl. It's perfectly normal. I'd kind of be worried if you _didn't_!"

"Really?" He asked, leaning into her hand as she caressed his cheek.

She kissed him again. "Really."

He smiled at her, visibly relaxing, the blue of his iris' sparkled with the soft light of the bedside lamp. The familiar playful crinkles cornered his eyes, and he took her hand in his. "Thank you, Kate."

She nodded, squeezing his fingers. "Always."

This time her lips lingered as she kissed him, her tongue darting out to skim his bottom lip as her fingers deftly mapped the lines of his face and throat. He curled one hand behind her neck, pulling her closer as he scooted his butt towards her on the mattress. Their tongues met, weaving and dancing from his mouth to hers, a curious exploration, as though it were their first kiss. Kate let her fingers travel inquisitively down his chest, lightly brushing through the curls of hair there before strumming the ladder of his ribcage, roaming over the soft pouch of his abdomen, then landing on the zipper of his jeans. He groaned against her mouth as she grasped the tongue of his zipper and tugged.

"Mmmm, Beckett, you're entering dangerous territory here."

She smiled, leaning back to look into his eyes. "Good. You know how much I love flirting with danger."

"Almost as much as you love flirting with me?"

She chuckled. "Exactly." Then she captured his mouth in a frenzied, unbridled kiss as they reclined on the bed, their hands and lips and bodies taking control, soon moving like a well-rehearsed tango. The few items of clothing between them were hastily discarded, unceremoniously tossed to the floor as though they could no longer abide their presence, and they coiled their bodies around each other, their hips rolling in a passionate but metronomic rhythm. Castle explored every line and curve and soft angle of Kate's body, his hands kneading and tickling her tepid skin. She wrapped her legs around his middle as they rocked, her head thrown back, her fingers digging into the soft flesh of his deliciously rounded bottom.

And, within minutes, Kate was crying out, his name spilling from her lips, echoing around the darkened high-ceilinged room, her body rocking in wave after wave of unadulterated pleasure. Soon after, it was his turn, Kate gripping him tightly as he shuddered and moaned above her, eventually his hips slowing down, then stopping as he struggled to collect his breath. He collapsed beside her on the bed, his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and reached for her hand, grasping it tightly.

"Whoa," he whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"That was," he began.

"Awesome," she finished.

Kate rolled to her side, Castle spooning her as he pulled the sheet over their spent naked bodies. He kissed the shell of her ear and laced his fingers with hers, closing his eyes when his lids grew heavy with sleep.

She brought their joined hands up to her chest and snuggled back against him, comforted by his warm body as it hummed against hers. She kissed the back of his hand. "Goodnight, Castle."

"Mmmm," he replied, sleep already overtaking him. He whispered before nodding off, "I love you, Kate."

Her lips bowed. "I love you, too," she replied, and then drifted blissfully off to sleep, carried there by the absolute certainty that she was at the right place, at the right time, with the right _person_.

And, so was he.

* * *

**I**t was hearing day, and Castle was a bundle of nerves, pacing back and forth in the hallway of the courthouse like a caged lion; an angry, large-maned, alpha-male lion. Kate was doing everything in her repertoire to calm him, even suggesting he take a sedative, before he finally sat on a bench and put his head in his hands. But, it wasn't long before his knee started jumping and, unable to corral the nervous energy pent up inside of him, he was back to pacing back and forth in front of the massive mahogany courtroom door. Kate watched patiently from her seat across from him, occasionally checking her watch as the hearing time drew closer.

Sheila Forstrom and her parents had arrived an hour earlier, the prosecutor wanting to meet with her one more time to go over her amended testimony. This included her allegations of rape, for which Peter would be arrested by the end of the day if the SVU completed their investigation in time. Because these new allegations were going to be included in the testimony today, they'd had to disclose the information to the defense team. Kate was sure they'd want to plea, given the damning testimony, but they'd chosen not to, deciding to forge ahead with the hearing, hoping to discredit Sheila and Alexis before the eyes of the court.

This was part of the reason Castle was so nervous. He was concerned for Alexis, but now for Sheila as well. He knew what could happen, how the defense could tear her down, make her sound crazy or unreliable, or more likely, like a promiscuous hanger-on. He didn't want that, for _either_ of them.

After Sheila had told them her story, Kate had convinced her to go to the police and to tell her parents, in whom she hadn't yet confided. Kate drove her to the police station, and sat with her while she met with detectives from the special victims unit. Then, she helped her make the phone call to her parents, who lived in Connecticut, and held her hand as she tearfully told them the story. They were understandably upset that she hadn't told them sooner, and insisted they would drive into the city the very next morning. They wanted to be with her when she testified at the hearing, and to help her decide whether she wanted to stay at school or not. Kate got the distinct impression they were planning to take her back to Connecticut with them. Given the circumstances, Kate thought it might not be the worst idea in the world.

Alexis still hadn't arrived at the courthouse. She'd insisted on getting there on her own, despite her fathers protests to the contrary, but now she was running late. She had wanted to start the day by attending a meeting with Sky, who was leaving on a month-long tour that afternoon and so this would be the last time they could see each other before the band's bus pulled out for the road.

Kate glanced at her watch again; feeling contaminated by Castle's nervous energy, and frowned. She was about to suggest they call Alexis, when she heard the unmistakable click of heels against polished marble floor approaching them.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Alexis breathlessly apologized. "I hope I didn't worry you?"

"No, not at all, honey," Castle lied, sliding his arm over her shoulder and kissing her on top of her ginger-haired head. "We're all good, just fine, no worries, how are you? Okay? How was the meeting? You don't have to tell me. Are you ready? How do you feel? Nervous? Did you eat? Do you want some coffee? I'm a little nervous."

"Dad!"

"Hmmm?"

"Stop. Breathe. Everything will be okay," Alexis reassured him, pulling up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "No matter what happens. I'm okay. Okay?"

He jammed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, exhaling slowly. "Okay," he tentatively agreed. "Right. Okay."

"Alexis, you look lovely," Kate observed.

"Oh," Alexis replied, looking down at her outfit. She'd settled on a simple black business suit with a green oxford shirt and black flats. She wore her hair in a long ponytail down her back. "Thank you. The prosecutor said I should dress conservatively."

"Well, you did a fine job."

Alexis nodded. "Thanks."

"So," the prosecutor interrupted, his booming voice echoing off the walls of the long hallway as he approached the trio. "...is everyone ready? We can go in now." Sheila and her parents were trailing behind the large man; he was easily 6 foot 4 and almost as round. Alexis nodded at the girl, smiling. Sheila nodded back, then quickly averted her remorse-filled eyes as though she still could not forgive herself for her part in the Facebook prank against Alexis.

In an attempt to reassure Sheila, Alexis reached out and touched her elbow. "Thank you for testifying today. For telling the truth. I doubt he'd ever have to face up to what he did if it weren't for you."

"If it weren't for me, this might not have happened," Sheila replied.

"He'd have just gotten someone else to do it. The way I figure it, if you hadn't come looking for me that morning, I might have died in my bed. I can't forget your part in it, Sheila, but I understand it, and I've forgiven you."

Everyone stopped to look at Alexis, including the prosecutor.

"I don't know what to say," Sheila replied, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's okay," Alexis answered, shaking her head. "You don't have to say anything." She jutted her chin towards the now open courtroom doors. "What you're doing here today, says enough."

Castle and Kate exchanged glances, he proud, she relieved, and then followed the prosecutor, Alexis, Sheila and her parents through the door.

The place was packed. Sitting behind Peter Marshall, who was already seated at the defense table, were his parents, and a slew of what were undoubtedly his friends. Some of whom Castle recognized from Alexis' dorm. They began pointing and staring at the two girls, whispering to each other and laughing. Castle's face grew crimson with rage and he wanted to strangle each and every one of them. He looked at Alexis whose face was as white as a sheet.

"Honey? Are you okay?" He asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Ah, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Except," She covered her mouth with her hand and turned to Kate in horror. "I think I might be sick."

She wriggled away from beneath her father's protective arm, turned suddenly on her heel, and ran out of the courtroom.

The laughter coming from the gallery was nothing more than white noise buzzing in Castle's ears as he and Kate ran after her. When they got to the hallway, they saw her push her way into the ladies room. Kate turned to Castle, smoothing his tie with the palm of her hand. "I'll go check on her. Wait here."

Castle waited.

And, waited.

And then began pacing back and forth again, chewing on his thumbnail, his feet following some imaginary ten foot looping path in front of the ladies room at the municipal courthouse.

He wanted to strangle someone. He wanted to march into that courtroom and strangle Peter Marshall, make him pay for every bit of misery he'd ever caused his little girl. But, he knew that would get them nowhere. _That_ would make things much, much worse.

So, instead, he paced.

**A/N: So, I said before there was only one chapter left. I was wrong. Looks like there were two! :-) Sometimes that happens. I'm already working on it, hope to have it updated very soon. Thank you so much for reading and for all of your lovely reviews, follows, and favorites. I really appreciate it.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Laser Tagged  
**By Dana Keylits

**Chapter Fifteen**

**A**lexis lowered the toilet seat and flushed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, the nausea now gone since she'd just unceremoniously emptied the entire contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. She heard the bathroom door open and close, and the unmistakable sound of Kate's footsteps approach.

"Alexis?"

Alexis closed her eyes, raised her head and exhaled. "I'll be right out." She shook her head, blinking back the unwanted tears that were beginning to rim her eyes, then, steadying herself, she opened the stall door.

Kate's face was a mask of sympathy, and Alexis found the lines crisscrossing the Detective's forehead oddly comforting. She stepped out of the stall and walked to the sink, Kate stepped up beside her.

"I know you're not okay, but do you think you can get through this?"

Just the hint of a smile played her lips, and she turned on the faucet, relishing in the cool water as it tumbled over her clammy skin. She turned her head to look at Kate. "I think so."

She finished washing her hands and pulled two paper towels from the dented white dispenser above the sink. "I guess I wasn't prepared for such an," she searched for the right word, "...unsympathetic audience."

Kate nodded, leaning towards Alexis. "I'm surprised by that, too. But, once those kids hear what he's done, once they learn the _truth_? I have a feeling they won't be supporting him for much longer."

Alexis crumpled the paper towels into a ball and tossed them into the bin below the sink. She planted her hands on her hips and looked down, as though examining her shoes. She had been prepared to face Peter, well prepared, in fact, having spent hours practicing her testimony in front of the mirror, imagining his face as she spoke her truth. Imagining what it would feel like to finally confront him. But, she'd not been prepared for _this._ For this seemingly hostile audience.

Kate inched closer, gently rubbing Alexis' upper arm. "Just focus on your dad and me. Lanie is in there, too, and Martha. You'll have a lot of support, Alexis. Just look at _us_. Okay?" Kate ducked her head, trying to meet the ginger-haired girls eyes. "Ignore everyone else."

Alexis offered Kate another petite smile, raising her head to meet Kate's gaze. She nodded, taking in a lungful of air. "Okay."

* * *

"**A**lexis, do you see the young man who assaulted you sitting in this courtroom today?" The robust prosecutor boomed at her from his side of the witness box.

"Yes," Alexis answered, her voice confident.

"Can you please point to him?"

Alexis lifted her right hand and pointed her index finger at Peter Marshall.

"Let the record show that the witness has indicated the defendant, Peter Marshall?"

The judge nodded, waving at the court reporter with one uninterested hand, seemingly bored with this repetitive formality.

The rest of the prosecutors questions were also formality. Where had Alexis met Peter? At a party. How many times had they interacted? At least twenty. Did she once have a problem with alcohol? Yes. Was she still drinking? No. Did she and Peter have a sexual relationship? No.

Alexis saw the relief in her father's shoulders as she answered that last question, his fingers raking through his hair as he exhaled. While she answered the rest of the prosecutors' questions, she could see her father's head bobbing supportively, and it helped keep her focused.

And then it was time to discuss _that_ _night._

Alexis braced herself for the question, and when it came, she was ready.

"Ms. Castle, can you please tell the court what happened on the night in question?"

"I was in my dorm room studying when Meryl and Sheila came in with a six pack of beer. And, like I already told you, I had been having a problem with alcohol," Alexis looked up towards the judge. "...my drinking was becoming a problem for me," she explained, then looked back at the prosecutor and continued. "... so I had decided on that day to stop. But, I hadn't asked for help, even though I'd promised my father I wouldn't drink anymore," Alexis' eyes darted towards her father, who was looking back at her with a pained expression, even through the smile he flashed her. He had his fingers entwined with Kate's, their joined hands resting comfortably in his lap. "...I just thought I could stop on my own," Alexis continued. "Anyway, Sheila and Meryl talked me into having a beer, which I did. Before I knew it, I was feeling sleepy and sluggish. Like I couldn't move my arms and legs, and then everything in the room was blurry."

"And what happened next? What do you remember?"

"Waking up in the hospital," she looked right at Castle and smiled broadly, "...and seeing my dad's face."

"And, did your dad explain to you what had happened to you?"

"No," Alexis answered. "Not right away. It was Detective Beckett who explained most of it to me. And, then later Sheila Forstrom filled in a lot of the blanks as well."

"Detective Beckett is your fathers partner?"

"Yes," Alexis answered, and then quickly added, "...and my friend."

She could see Kate's head snap up in surprise, and then a broad, bright smile adorn her face. Alexis meant it, too. Kate had been her friend throughout all of this, even when Alexis hadn't asked her to, hadn't _wanted_ her to. Kate had been there.

"And what did Detective Beckett tell you?"

"Objection!" the defense lawyer, a middle aged George Clooney look-alike, barked. "Hearsay."

"Your honor, she heard it _directly_ from Detective Beckett. That doesn't constitute hearsay."

"Agreed, overruled," the Judge determined, he turned towards Alexis. "Please answer the question."

"She told me that I had been treated for an overdose. That I had cocaine and Rohypnol in my system."

"And did you use cocaine that night? Or, Rohypnol?"

"No."

"Have you _ever_ used either of these drugs?"

"No."

"Thank you. What else did Detective Beckett tell you?"

"She told me that someone had taken a picture of me in bed with Peter, and that it looked like I was naked." Alexis frowned. "It was posted on Facebook the night I was drugged."

"Objection," George Clooney roared, "…it has not yet been established that Ms. Castle was drugged."

"Sustained. Please strike the witnesses last comment from the record," the Judge instructed the court reporter.

"Let me rephrase. Ms. Castle, did Detective Beckett tell you that the photograph of you that was posted on Facebook was posted on the night before you were hospitalized?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, please continue."

"Detective Beckett said that she had spoken with a classmate of mine, who wanted to tell me something. And then, Sheila came to see me in the hospital."

"Sheila Forstrom?"

"Yes," Alexis confirmed.

"And, what did Ms. Forstrom tell you?"

"Objection, hearsay."

"Overruled. Ms. Castle, please answer the question."

Alexis shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing across the room at her father before answering. This was going to be hard for him to hear. She still hadn't told him all of the details of what Sheila had revealed to her.

"She told me that Peter had asked her and Meryl to give me the beer. That she didn't know at the time that the beer had been laced with cocaine and Rohypnol. When I was out of it, Meryl called Peter and told him to come to my room, that they'd done their part."

"Indicating that they'd drugged you?"

"Objection, calls for the witness to speculate."

"Overruled."

"Ms. Castle?" The prosecutor prodded her to continue.

"Yes, that was what she indicated," Alexis replied.

"Please go on."

She took a long breath, her eyes darting to Kate for support, immediately finding it in the sympathetic smile that graced her _friends_ face. She turned back to the Prosecutor. "She told me that when Peter got to the room, he put me in the bed. They took my top off. Then, Peter took off his shirt and pants and got into the bed with me."

Alexis could hear his gasp, and when she lifted her eyes to see her father, he was fuming, his cheeks were practically _glowing_ his face was so red. Kate was holding onto his hand as tightly as she could, scooting over in her seat to be nearer him. Gram was holding his other hand, her head leaning on his shoulder. Alexis could see Kate whispering something in his ear, and he closed his eyes. Then he opened them, and focused on her again. He gave her a faint smile.

She smiled back.

"And then what happened?" The prosecutor asked, breaking the link between Alexis and her father.

Alexis licked her lips, her tongue suddenly dry. She looked up at the Judge. "Um, may I have a sip of water, please?"

The judge nodded at the bailiff who brought Alexis a glass of water. She took a short sip, then another, and then set the glass down on the small ledge inside of the witness box. She folded her hands in her lap, grateful that no one could see them because she was grasping her fingers so hard that her knuckles were snow white.

She cleared her throat and forged ahead. "Sheila told me that Peter removed my bra and took pictures of my breasts. That he took pictures of himself, ah, with his tongue on them." Alexis swiped at her forehead, a thin sheen of sweat popping up. She could hear her father coughing, but she didn't want to look up, afraid that if she did, she would break down and cry. And she did _not_ want Peter to see her cry.

"Did Sheila say she witnessed this?"

"Yes," Alexis answered. When she looked back up, she noticed three girls who had been seated behind Peter, were slipping uncomfortably from the room. Kate had been right. They really didn't know. They didn't know what he'd done, and it seemed that _now_ they believed her.

"What else happened?"

"Sheila said a friend of Peter's came running into the room and told them that the dorm monitor was on the floor. So, he had Meryl take a picture, making it look like we were, ah, like we were having sex." She took another sip of water, if only to stop herself from crying. "And, then they left. Sheila put my shirt back on me, and covered me with a blanket."

"Ms. Castle, do you have any memory of this?"

Alexis inhaled, held her breath for a minute, and then exhaled. "No, but I have flashes of memory, flashes of seeing him on top of me and not being able to do anything about it. But, nothing that I can really say is a coherent memory."

"Do you have any reason to believe that Ms. Forstrom is lying to you?"

Alexis looked at the back of the room where Sheila's parents were seated behind Lanie. Sheila was waiting outside, since she could not be in the room until it was her turn to testify, an assistant prosecutor had escorted her out and was sitting with her.

"No, I believe she is telling me the truth."

"Thank you, Ms. Castle," he said, smiling at her. "I have no further questions for this witness, your honor."

The judge asked the defense attorney if he had any questions, and as the prosecutor had warned Alexis, he did. He began with the niceties, introducing himself, asking how she was, apologizing for the nature of the questions being asked of her, but assuring her that they were necessary. And then he pounced.

"You testified that Detective Beckett is your fathers partner?"

"Yes," Alexis answered, surprised by the question.

"What do you mean by _partner_?"

"They work together. He acts as a consultant on some of her cases. And, they're, well, now they're in a relationship"

"I see," he said. "So they're sleeping together."

"Objection! How does the witness' fathers relationship status have any bearing on this case?"

"I'll allow it, but tread carefully, counselor."

"Miss Castle?"

"Yes, like I said they're in a relationship."

"You said that. So, is it possible that Detective Beckett was biased when she helped the Campus Police in her investigation of my client? And, isn't it true that she had had several altercations with him?"

"What? No! Detective Beckett wouldn't lie about something like that."

"Fine, moving on. Isn't it true that on the first night you met my client, you went home with him? That you slept with him?"

"I did _not_ sleep with him!" Alexis insisted, her voice cracking, the heat rising in her cheeks.

"You mean you didn't wake up with him on his couch? Hungover? You didn't call Detective Beckett to come get you?"

Alexis looked at Kate who looked like _she_ wanted to jump over the railing and strangle the guy. "Well, yes, I did. But we didn't have sex, we were fully dressed."

"Uh huh. Very well. You've testified to having a problem with alcohol."

Alexis didn't say anything, since he hadn't really asked her a question, and the prosecutor had told her to only answer direct questions with the fewest of words.

"Miss Castle. You stated you have a problem with alcohol?"

"I _had_ a problem with alcohol. I'm sober now."

"Have you ever had so much to drink that you blacked out?"

"Yes."

"How do you know that's not what happened on this night?"

"Because I remember only drinking one beer before I felt faint."

"And you deny using drugs?"

"Yes," Alexis answered.

"You've never used drugs? Ever?"

Alexis shifted in her seat, "Um, well, I never used the drugs that were in my system when I was at the hospital."

"But you _have_ used other drugs, correct? In fact, you've used drugs _with _the defendant?"

"I, um, yes, I used marijuana with him. Twice," Alexis admitted, again avoiding eye contact with her father. "But that was it."

"So, isn't it possible, Miss Castle, that you made this whole story up? That you collaborated with Miss Forstrom to tell these lies about my client so you wouldn't get into trouble for partying too hard? For drinking and using drugs and having sex with my client?"

"I've never had sex with him!"

"So you say. Are you a virgin, Miss Castle?"

Alexis could see her father rise up from his seat, Kate standing with him, holding him back, Gram pleading with him to sit back down. Which he reluctantly did. He folded one arm across his chest, using the other to scrub his face in frustration.

"Objection!"

"Sustained."

"Very well. No further questions, your honor, but we reserve the right to recall this witness."

Now it was Alexis' turn to pace back and forth, her shoes click-clacking on the marble floor, echoing off the high ceiling. She sounded like a typewriter.

After she'd been excused by the judge, she was escorted briskly out of the courtroom; and since she might be called back in to testify, she wouldn't be allowed to listen to any of the other testimony. She had hoped to hear Sheila testify, but had been warned that there was a possibility that wouldn't happen.

The door swung open and her father came rushing out of the courtroom like a greyhound released in a dog race. He wrapped his arms around Alexis and held her tightly, whispering in her ear.

"You did great, sweetie, you were great."

"I'm sorry, dad." Alexis answered. The tension, emotion, frustration of the day flooded over her like a tsunami, and she burrowed into his neck, her slender frame wracked with sobs.

"Shhhh, honey, you don't have to apologize."

They stood there, two peas in a pod, rocking from side to side until her sobs gently receded and she was able to look into her father's bright blue eyes. How many times had those eyes provided her with solace? How many monsters had he chased away? She squeezed him around the middle again, inhaling deeply, her eyes squeezed shut, and she was profoundly comforted by his familiar scent, the warmth of his strong body as he protected her from the world.

She finally let go and stepped back, wiping the mascara from beneath her eyelids with her forefingers, before sniffling loudly. Castle handed her a clean handkerchief and she blew her nose. She offered him a thin smile. "Thank you, Dad."

"Anytime, sweetie," he grinned. "I have tons of those."

Alexis giggled, "No, not that," she lightly punched him in the bicep. "For being so great. For being such a cool dad."

"Well, you're a cool daughter."

Her tears forgotten, Alexis beamed at her father. She may have gotten the short straw when it came to the mother department, but she hit the jackpot with her dad.

And now, she had Beckett, too.

"Where is Kate?"

"She wanted to stay behind, listen to the rest of the testimony while I came out here to wait with you."

Alexis nodded. "How long do you think we'll have to wait?"

Castle turned to look back at the massive doors, then back at Alexis. "Probably awhile. You wanna hit the cafeteria while we wait? I could use a cup of coffee myself." He thumbed behind him towards the end of the hallway.

Alexis suddenly noticed the rumbling in her stomach and glanced at her watch. She'd been in there for nearly two hours and she was famished. Especially since she'd failed to keep her breakfast down. She linked her arm in his and nodded. "Yes, I'm starving!"

"Okay, let me text Beckett and let her know where we are." He typed in the short message, then squeezed her arm and led her down the hall, feeling lighter than he had in months.

This was almost behind them.

* * *

**H**is phone buzzed alerting him to a new text message and when he brought it up, he jumped out of his seat, nearly tipping over the half-consumed cup of coffee in the process. "Kate just texted, honey. It's over."

"What? They didn't need me to testify again?"

"Doesn't seem like it." He stood up and reached for her hand. "Let's go."

When they reached the expansive hallway outside of the courtroom, Kate, Lanie and Martha were huddled in a semi-circle. Alexis and Castle joined them, breathless from their hurried walk up the stairs.

"What happened?" Alexis asked, looking from Kate to Lanie to Martha.

Kate grinned, "Well, after Sheila testified, the Judge made an immediate ruling." She shifted to Castle, then back to Alexis. "He denied their motion. Peter is going to have to stand trial for what he did to you."

Alexis looked up at the ceiling and exhaled, not even realizing she had been holding her breath. "Thank God."

Castle pumped his fist, "Yes!"

"There's more," Kate advised.

Father and daughter looked at her, their eyebrows raised.

"SVU is in there right now. They're arresting him for raping Sheila."

As if on cue, the doors boomed open and Sheila and her parents emerged from the courtroom, followed by the remaining kids who had been in the gallery, none of whom looked at Alexis as they walked past. Alexis didn't know if that meant they still didn't believe her, or if they were embarrassed by their support of Peter. Either way, she didn't much care. Alexis walked up to Sheila and hugged her.

"We got him," she whispered.

Sheila, who had clearly been crying, nodded. "Yup."

Castle shook hands with Sheila's parents before they gathered their daughter and walked down the long hallway to the exit. Then he clapped his hands together, bouncing on his toes. "Well, I think this calls for a family celebration, don't you?"

"Yes!" Alexis declared. "Hamburgers and milkshakes?"

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Whatever you want! Lanie? You're joining us, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it!" Lanie replied, beaming at the pair.

"Castle."

He turned around to look at Kate. "What?" But he already knew. Peter was exiting the courthouse, his hands cuffed, two grim-looking SVU detectives walking behind him.

Alexis approached the group before Castle could stop her and his heart slammed against his ribcage with worry. But he had to let her do this, let her have her say, even though he didn't want her anywhere _near_ the guy.

Peter barely looked at Alexis, his eyes darting to her shoes instead. Alexis folded her arms in front of her, her eyes blazing. "Well, isn't this fitting," she said. "You're finally getting what's coming to you, Peter. I want you to know, that I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you _never_ hurt another woman. Even if that means I have to take the stand again and be called a drunken whore by your asshole lawyers." She moved her hands to her hips, ducking her head to try and make eye contact. "Because, you and I know the _truth_, Peter. We know that you assaulted me, and that you raped Sheila. And you are going to _rot_ in prison for that! And, you know what else we know?" She waited for him to answer, which he didn't. "That you are nothing but a pencil-dicked, punk who has to act like a mighty king because you _know_ that all you _really_ are is a piece of _shit_. No better than something I'd carry in on the bottom of my shoe!"

Castle's head spun around to look at Kate, who was smiling proudly.

"Amen!" Lanie added.

Martha pumped her fist in the air, as if in some victory, which it was.

The detectives from SVU, both of whom had amused smiles on their faces, led Peter away. Alexis spun around, her face bright red, her eyes wide. "Whoa. Did I just really say all of that out loud?"

They all nodded, a grin on every face.

Alexis burst out laughing. "C'mon," she said, linking her arms with her dad's and then Kate's. She chin-nodded at Martha and Lanie. "Let's go celebrate!"

**A/N: This is it. Well, not really. There is still a very special epilogue to go. Thank you all ****_so much_**** for reading! **


	16. Epilogue

**Laser Tagged**

By Dana Keylits

**Epilogue**

The room was dark, soundless, ominous shadows creeping from the corners that distorted the normal lines and angles of the space. Only the ambient light of the streetlamps illuminated his path to safety. He opened the heavy door only as far as he'd need to squeeze through, just in case it squeaked, which it did. He paused, listening, reasonably sure that the telltale squeak wasn't loud enough to alert his pursuers.

He held the gun in front of him, taking a minute to catch his breath, gather his courage, before going back out there. He had no idea where Beckett was, having lost sight of her when she'd dropped behind a column to avoid gunfire.

Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead, rivered over his brow, one of them splashing silently onto the gun in his hands. He absently wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt, and then peeked through the crack in the doorway. It looked all clear, and he was about to creak the door open a little more when he heard what he thought was the sound of whispered voices approaching. He tried to make himself as small as possible, but at his height and weight, that wasn't easy.

His heart slammed violently against his ribcage and he was afraid they could hear it on the other side of the door. He tried to steady his breathing, calm his nerves, but he sensed the danger around him, and his body was screaming at him, flight or fight, it said. Make a choice.

He chose to hide instead, and his body was _not_ happy about it.

He backed up as far as he could go, and was about to hide behind a pile of boxes when the door suddenly swung open and two well-armed figures raised their guns.

And fired.

He was hit.

He had no reaction at first, he just looked at them, a flicker of betrayal skittering across his baby-blue's.

And then he looked down at the flashing lights on his Laser Tag vest, dropping his gun to his side in defeat.

"No fair," he whined, stepping out of the closet to look at the two women. "Who said you could gang up on me?"

Alexis giggled, turned to Kate and they high-fived. "You lost, Dad. Don't be a poor sport."

"You cheated," Castle argued, flipping on the overhead light, casting back the shadows and giving the room a soft glow. "And, since neither of you has been hit yet, there is no clear winner."

"We're both winners," Kate exclaimed, her arm snaking around Alexis' shoulders.

"You can't have two winners," Castle declared.

"Who says?" Alexis asked, her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"I say," Castle pouted, pulling off his vest and dropping it into a plastic bin along with his gun and other gear.

"You are such a _poor_ loser, Richard," Martha declared, click-clacking down the stairs in a stunning neon orange ensemble, complete with matching heels. She reached the bottom of the stairs and leaned against her son, slipping her arm through his. "Just face it, kiddo." She swept her arms towards Kate and Alexis, who were helping each other out of their Laser Tag gear. "You've been out-_womaned._"

Castle sighed, shaking his head and leaning into his mother. "Story of my life!"

She punched him playfully on the bicep, "Oh, pooh!"

Finally free of her gear, Kate sauntered over, slipping her arms around his waist until her fingers joined behind his back, and looked playfully into his eyes. "Admit it, Castle. You _like_ being out-womaned."

He grunted, his hands circling around her waist. "Well, maybe, sometimes, _occasionally_." He glanced over at a smiling Alexis. "But not when you gang up on me!"

"Oh, c'mon dad, you're just going to have to get used to the fact that Kate and I have joined forces." She gave Kate a warm smile. "And, you've been..." she searched for the right word, glancing at Kate for help, who winked at her and chimed in.

"Laser tagged."

**A/N: Well, this is it, folks. I am so appreciative for all of you who have commented, favorited, and followed this story, and stuck with me through to the end, even though I wasn't always the ****_best_**** at updating! This has been a very cool experience for me to write this story, as I have woven in elements from my own life into it, and have kept it at a T rating (you may already know my penchant for M! lol). I'm looking for another T project to write, so if you have any prompts, kick them my way, will ya? **


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